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American  revolution  in  New  York; 


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George  Washington 
From  wax  profile  by  Patience  Wright,  1785 


(Courtesy  Neio   York  Historical  Society) 


The  American  Revolution 

In  New  York 

Its  Political,  Social  and  Economic  Significance 


For  General  Use  as  Part  of  the  Program 

of  the  Executive  Committee  on  the 

One  Hundred  and  Fiftieth  Anniversary 

of  the 

American  Revolution 


Prepared  by  the 
DIVISION  OF  ARCHIVES  AND  HISTORY 


Albany 

The  University  of  the  State  of  New  York 

1926 


One  Hundred  and  Fiftieth  Anniversary 

of  the 

American  Revolution 


Executive   Committee 

Frank  P.  Graves 
President  of  the  University 

Alexander  C.  Flick 
State  Historian,  Chairman 

Charles  B.  Alexander 

Regent  of  the  University,  representing  the  Society  of 
the  Cincinnati,  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution  and  the  Sons 
of  the  American  Revolution 

James  Sullivan 
Assistant  Commissioner  of  Education 

Frederick  B.  Richards 

Representing  the  New  York  State  Historical 

Association 

George  F.  Kunz 

Representing  the  American  Scenic  and 

Historic  Preservation  Society 

Mrs.  Alton  B.  Parker 

Representing  the  Daughters  of  the 

American  Revolution 

Alexander  J.  Wall 
Representing  the  New  York  Historical  Society 


Peter  Nelson 
Executive  Secretary 


INTRODUCTION 

One  hundred  fifty  years  ago,  through  the  conflict  known  in  history 
as  the  American  Revolution,  the  royal  province  of  New  York  was 
changed  into  an  independent  republic  and  a  few  years  later  became 
a  member  of  the  United  States  of  America.  During  this  century 
and  a  half  a  weak  colony  of  180,000  people  has  developed  into  a 
powerful  state  with  10,000,000  citizens;  and  wealth,  comfort,  culture 
and  welfare  have  increased  to  almost  incredible  dimensions.  These 
blessings  we  owe  to  the  adventurous  spirit,  the  toil  and  self-sacrifice, 
the  supreme  faith  in  their  own  ability,  the  capacity  for  cooperative 
effort,  and  a  vision  of  America's  future  which  the  founding  fathers 
of  the  Commonwealth  possessed.  It  is  highly  fitting,  therefore,  that 
we  who  today  are  enjoying  the  rewards  of  their  endeavors  and 
sacrifices  should  express  our  appreciation  in  words  and  deeds  through 
the  Sesquicentennial  anniversaries. 

New  York's  role  in  the  Revolution  has  been  ignored,  misrepresented 
and  misunderstood.  Although  some  excellent  biographies,  local 
histories  and  monographs  of  certain  phases  of  the  Revolution  have 
been  written,  yet  an  adequate  history  of  that  epoch-making  move- 
ment as  a  whole  has  not  been  attempted.  The  political  and  military 
activities  of  the  patriots  of  New  York  have  been  treated  with  a  fair 
degree  of  fullness  if  not  fairness,  but  the  equally  important  social, 
economic,  religious  and  educational  activities  have  been  sadly 
neglected. 

Any  one  who  will  take  the  pains  to  study  the  original  sources  of 
the  State  during  the  Revolutionary  period  will  realize  that  the  Revo- 
lution was  not  a  simple  struggle  but  tremendously  complex  and 
kaleidoscopic.  The  military  problems  were  much  more  difficult  and 
complicated  than  has  been  pictured.  Little  attention  has  been  given 
to  that  important  change  from  colony  to  independent  statehood 
through  the  revolutionary  local  committees  and  provincial  congresses; 
and  scant  notice  has  been  taken  of  the  gigantic  task  of  framing  the 
first  State  Constitution  and  organizing  the  State  Government  under  it 
in  the  midst  of  a  bitter  civil  war.  To  finance  the  war  and  to  secure 
the  necessary  military  stores  for  8  years  required  as  much  organizing 
ability  and  self-sacrifice  as  to  recruit  troops  and  to  win  battles.  Our 
eyes  have  been  centered  on  the  relatively  small  number  of  soldiers 
who  defeated  the  enemy,  while  we  have  forgotten  the  masses  of  people 
on  the  farms  and  in  the  cities  and  villages  who  suffered  hardships, 


2  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW   YORK 

endured  sacrifices  and  kept  up  the  morale  of  the  Nation  so  that  the 
war  might  be  won.  These  civilians  paid  the  taxes,  furnished  the  sup- 
plies and  kept  the  new  political  machinery  functioning  at  a  cost  of 
devotion  and  self-sacrifice  not  fully  appreciated. 

Further  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  real  Revolution  did  not 
take  place  on  the  battlefield  but  in  government,  in  society  in 
general,  in  industry  and  in  religious  and  cultural  institutions.  A  new 
type  of  citizenship  —  more  self-reliant,  more  responsible  and  more 
democratic  ■ —  emerged  from  the  clash  of  ideas  and  of  arms.  These 
transformations  and  readjustments  must  be  comprehended  before  one 
can  understand  how  the  Revolution  produced  the  State  of  New  York, 
the  American  Nation  and  a  new  order  in  world  history. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  this  handbook  to  outline  these  important  but 
neglected  aspects  of  the  Revolution  as  well  as  to  sketch  the  traditional 
interpretation  of  the  military  phases.  It  is  hoped  that  it  will  encourage 
the  people  of  the  State,  by  further  study,  to  gain  a  deeper  appreciation 
of  the  significance  of  the  struggle  which  produced  the  great 
schism  of  the  British  Empire  in  the  eighteenth  century  and  created  the 
first  democratic  federal  republic  in  the  annals  of  the  human  race. 
If  during  the  Sesquicentennial  the  citizens  of  New  York  gain  a  truer 
conception  of  the  many  sides  of  the  Revolution,  if  they  feel  a  deeper 
gratitude  to  the  fathers,  soldiers  and  noncombatants  alike,  if  they 
come  to  have  a  more  appreciative  consciousness  of  their  rich  inherit- 
ance, and  if  as  a  result  they  realize  more  fully  their  obligation  both 
to  perfect  and  to  transmit  the  blessings  they  have  received  from 
the  founders,  then  the  mission  of  this  work  will  have  been  accom- 
plished. 

At  the  suggestion  of  the  President  and  the  Board  of  Regents  of 
the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York  this  book  was  prepared 
(1)  to  present  in  brief  outline  for  popular  use  the  history  of  the 
Revolution;  (2)  to  acquaint  the  people  of  the  State  with  the  out- 
standing personalities  of  New  York  in  that  memorable  conflict;  (3)  to 
supply  a  handy  bibliography  for  further  study  of  the  many  aspects 
of  that  crisis;  and  (4)  to  give  some  useful  suggestions  for  local 
celebrations  in  churches,  clubs,  patriotic  and  civic  bodies,  and  schools 
and  colleges. 

Alexander  C.  Flick 

State  Historian 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Introduction    1 

Contents    ...       3 

Illustrations     . . . . ' 5 

The  American  Revolution  in  New  York 

I     Causes  of  the  Revolution 9 

II     Rise  of  the  Revolutionary  Committee  System 27 

III  The    Provincial    Congress 47 

IV  New  York's  Declaration  of  Independence 59 

V     Government  under  the  First  State  Constitution  of  1777 77 

VI  The  Struggle  To  Finance  the  Revolution 105 

VII  New  York  on  the  Battlefield 129 

VIII  How  New  York  Supplied  the  Armies l79 

IX  The   Loyalists  of  New   York 203 

X  Results  of   the   Revolution   in   New   York 227 

Chronology  of  New  York  in  the  Revolution 251 

Shrines  of  the  Revolutionary  War 271 

Works  relating  to  the  American  Revolution  in  the  State  of  New  York 287 

Documents  Illustrating  THE.  Revolution 
Declaration    of    Rights    and    Grievances    of    the    Stamp    Act    Congress, 

October   19,   1765 305 

Constitution  of  Albany  Sons  of  Liberty,  1766 307 

Resolutions  of  New  York  General  Assembly,  December  31,   1768 309 

Draft  of  Constitution  of  New  York  Sons  of  Liberty,  July  7,  1769. 310 

The  "Battle  of  Golden  Hill,"  January  19-20,   1770 311 

Invitation  to  New  York's  Tea   Party,  April  21,   1774 312 

Contemporary  Account   of  the  Tea  Party,  April  22,   1774 312 

New  York  Committee  Suggests  a  "General  Congress"  May  15,  1774.  .  . .   313 
Palatine  District,   Tryon   County,   Organizes   a   Revolutionary   Committee, 

August  7,  1774 '. 314 

Provincial    Congress    Called   by    the   New   York   City    Committee,    April 

28,  1775  316 

The  General  Association,  April  29,  1775 ." 317 

Provincial   Congress  Orders   All  Persons   To   Sign  the   General   Associa- 
tion,  May  29,   1775 317 

Provincial  Congress  Assumes  Power  of  Taxation,  June  24,  1775 318 

New  York  Virtually  Declares  Independence,  May  27,   1776 319 

Letter  of  New  York  Delegates  on  Independence,  July  2,  1776 320 

New  York  Ratifies  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  July  9,  1776 322 

First   State   Constitution,   April   20,    1777 326 

Proclamation    of    General    Burgoyne,    June    29,    1777 339 

A  Patriot's  Burlesque  on  Burgoyne's  Proclamation,  July  2,  1777 341 

[3] 


4  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

PAGE 

Proclamation  of  the  Election  of  the  First  Governor,  July  30,  1777 343 

Commissioners     for    Detecting    and     Defeating     Conspiracies,     February 

5,   1778    344 

New  York  Ratifies  the  Articles  of  Confederation,  February  6,  1778....  345 
Act  To  Procure  Shoes  and  Stockings  for  the  New  York  Troops,  March 

19,   1778    346 

Act  for  the   Forfeiture   and   Sale   of   the   Property   of  Loyalists,  October 

22,    1779    348 

Governor  Clinton  Defends  the  Patriotism  of  New  York,  November  24,  1781  353 

Suggestions  for  Programs  of  the  150th  Anniversary  of  the  Revolution 357 

Index    363 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PACE 
George  Washington.    From  wax  profile  by  Patience  Wright,  1785.     (Courtesy 

Neiv    York   Historical   Society) frontispiece 

New   York   Mile-Stones 10 

Sir  William  Johnson  Hall.     From  the  painting  by  E.  L.  Henry.      (Courtesy 

of  oivner,  Mrs  Charles  B.  Knox,  of  Johnstown) 19 

Old  City  Hall,  New  York  City,  on  site  of  Sub-Treasury,  at  Wall  and  Nassau 

Streets    20 

Alexander  McDougall    22 

Robert    Harpur's    Account    with    Alexander    Hamilton.      Original    in     State 

Library  26 

Billopp    House,    Tottenville,    Staten   Island 28 

Historic  Long  Room  in  Fraunces  Tavern,  New  York  City 30 

Invitation   to   the    New    York   Tea   Party.      (Courtesy   New    York    Historical 

Society)     32 

Election  of  Committee  of  50  (51) ,  May  16,  1774 36 

Fort  Crailo,   Rensselaer,   Front   View 37 

Fort  Constitution  on  Constitution  Island,  in  the  Highlands.      (Courtesy  New 

York  Historical  Society)    39 

Marinus   Willett    40 

Fort  Ticonderoga  a's  It  Was  During  English  Occupation 42 

Crown  Point,  Ruin  of   Northeast  Barracks 43 

Gouverneur    Morris    45 

Robert  R.  Livingston 48 

Alexander  Hamilton   50 

John    Jay.      From    portrait    by   Joseph   Wright,    1786.      (Courtesy   New    York 

Historical    Society )     52 

Henry    Knox    55 

Egbert  Benson.     Painted  from  life  in  1807  by  Gilbert  C.  Stuart.      (Courtesy 

New    York    Historical    Society) 57 

Thomas    Paine     58 

Thomas  Jefferson 60 

New  York  State  Signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  — •  Philip  Living- 
ston from  engraving  in  State  Library;  William  Floyd,  Francis  Lewis  and 
Lewis  Morris  from  Brotherhead's  edition  of  Sanderson's  Biography  of  the 

Signers  62 

Sir  William   Howe 63 

Richard    Lord   Howe 64 

Egbert   Benson.      Painted    from    life    in    1807    by    Gilbert    Stuart.      (Courtesy 

D.  A.  R.  Magazine ) 66 

Reading  the   Declaration   of   Independence   at  White    Plains,   July    11,   1776. 

(Courtesy  Westchester  Title  and  Trust  Company) 71 

Letter  of  Philip  Livingston.     Original  in  State  Library 74 

Letter  of  Lewis  Morris.     Original  in  State  Library 75 

George   Clinton    78 

James   Clinton 80 

[5] 


O  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

PAGE 

Philip   Van    Cortlandt 82 

Old  Senate  House,  Kingston 84 

First   Reformed  Church,  Fishkill 86 

Constitution  of  New  York  State,  printed  at   Fishkill,  1777.      {Courtesy  New 

York  Historical  Society) 88 

Massacre  of  Jane  McCrea,  July,  1777.     Painting  by  F.  C.  Yohn.      (Courtesy 

Glens  Falls  Fire  Insurance  Company) 98 

Morgan  Lewis 107 

Watch  of  John  Andre.      (Courtesy  New  York  Historical  Society) 109 

David  Williams  Medal,  1781.      (Courtesy  New-  York  Historical  Society) Ill 

Soldiers'  Payroll.     Original  in  State  Library 117 

Washington's  Certificate  to  a  Soldier.     Original  in  State  Library 119 

Conference  House,  Tottenville,  in  1846.     From  drawing  by  A.  De  Groot....   127 

Restoration  of  Conference  House.     As  planned  by  Chester  A.  Cole 128 

"Interview  between  Lord  Howe  and  Committee  of  Congress."     From  painting 

by  Chappell  in   1866 128 

Old  Stone  Fort  at  Schoharie 130 

"Arousing   the   Minutemen."      From   copyrighted   photograph   of  painting   on 

exhibition  in  the  Majestic  Hotel  Gallery,  New  York  City.     (By  permission 

of  the  artist,  John  Ward  Dunsmore) 132 

"The  Spirit  of  '76."     From  copyrighted  photograph  of  painting  on  exhibiJon 

in   the   Majestic   Hotel  Gallery,   New   York   City.      (By  permission   of    the 

artist,  John    Ward  Dunsmore) 139 

"The    Defense   of   Fort   Washington  — 1776."     From   copyrighted   photograph 

of  painting  on  exhibition  in  the  Majestic  Hotel   Gallery,  New  York-  City. 

(By  permission  of  the  artist,  John  Ward  Dunsmore) 141 

Philip    Schuyler    142 

Mrs    Philip  Schuyler.      (Courtesy  New  York  Historical  Society) 144 

Richard  Montgomery   146 

Nathan  Hale  Statue,  City  Hall  Park,  New  York  City 148 

Map    of    Herkimer's    March,    August    3-6,    1777.      (Courtesy    W.    Pierrepont 

White,   Utica)    150 

"I   Will   Face    the    Enemy"  —  Herkimer    at    the    Battle    of   Oriskany.      From 

Painting  by  Frederick  C.  Yohn.      (Courtesy  of  the  Utica  Public  Library)    151 

Peter    Gansevoort    152 

Nicholas    Herkimer    154 

John  Stark   156 

Benedict  Arnold    158 

Schuyler    Mansion,    Albany 160 

Horatio   Gates    162 

Map  of  Burgoyne  Campaign 163 

John    Burgoyne    164 

Map  of  the  Battle  of  Bennington 165 

Daniel   Morgan    166 

Guy  Carleton   166 

Burgoyne    Orderly   Book   Entry   of   September   18,    1777.      Original   in    State 

Library     168 

Sir   Henry   Clinton 170 

Silas  Town  Monument  on  Spy  Island,  Lake  Ontario. 171 


ILLUSTRATIONS  7 

PAGE 

British  Record  of  Execution  of  Nathan  Hale.     (Courtesy  New  York  Historical 

Society)    172 

Surrender  of   Burgoyne,   October   17,    1777 173 

John   Sullivan    174 

Route  of   Sir  John  Johnson,  1780 175 

Anthony   Wayne    176 

Lafayette.      (Courtesy  New   York  Historical  Society) 178 

Lead  Pencils.      (Courtesy  New  York  Historical  Society) 179 

Nicholas  Fish 180 

Washington's  Headquarters   at   Newburgh 183 

Knox  Headquarters,  near  Newburgh 184 

Ruins  of  Trinity  Church,  New  York  City,  during  Revolution 188 

Provost  of  New  York  City  in  1783 189 

Temple  Hill  Monument,   New  Windsor 192 

Ruins  of  Sterling  Iron  Furnace 194 

Joshua  Hett  Smith  House  at  West  Haverstraw 198 

Roger  Morris,  by  West 201 

Steuben    209 

Samuel   Kirkland 228 

Aaron  Burr.  From  painting  by  John  Vanderlyn.  (Courtesy  New  York  His- 
torical Society)    234 

"Conference  between  Washington  and  Sir  Guy  Carleton  to  Arrange  for  the 
Evacuation  of  New  York  City."  From  copyrighted  photograph  of  painting 
on  exhibition  in  the  Majestic  Hotel  Gallery,  New  York  City.  (By  permis- 
sion of  the  artist,  John  Ward  Dunsmore) 238 


THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION  IN  NEW  YORK 


CAUSES  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 

The  American  Revolution  is  recognized  generally  as  one  of  the 
most  important  factors  in  modern  world  history.  It  created  a  new 
Federal  Republic  out  of  a  portion  of  the  British  Empire,  and  helped  to 
democratize  the  remainder.  It  accelerated  the  French  Revolution, 
which  banished  the  Bourbon  regime  and  opened  a  new  era  of  popular 
government  in  Europe.  It  set  the  example  for  our  sister  republics  in 
Latin  America,  and  for  thirty  or  more  republics  now  girdling  the  globe. 

The  fundamental  causes  of  the  Revolution  should  be  clearly  dis- 
tinguished from  the  occasion  or  the  immediate  provocations.  The 
theory  of  English  law  made  the  colonies  directly  subject  to  the  crown. 
Parliament  legislated  for  them  freely  in  accordance  with  the  com- 
monly accepted  theory  of  the  relation  of  a  colony  to  the  parent  state. 
To  assert  that  the  Revolution  was  caused  solely  by  attempts  to  tax  the 
colonies  is  to  ignore  a  conflict  which  originated  far  back  in  English 
history.  The  collisions  at  Lexington  and  Ticonderoga  were  due  less 
to  the  Stamp  Act  and  Tea  Tax  than  to  forces  persisting  in  England 
and  America  since  the  revolt  against  Charles  I. 

During  the  colonial  period  the  relations  between  the  colonies  and 
the  home  government  were  far  from  satisfactory.  Causes  of  friction 
were  continually  at  work  to  foment  trouble.  The  British  authorities 
frequently  interfered  in  colonial  affairs.  In  the  long  run,  however,  the 
colonists  had  their  own  way  though  only  after  bitter  contests. 

The  primary  causes  of  the  American  Revolution,  as  revealed  by 
recent  scholars  through  careful  study  of  the  sources,  may  be  set  forth 
as  follows: 

1  When  the  Pilgrims  and  Puritans  fled  to  New  England  for  greater 
civic  and  religious  freedom,  when  the  Dutch  carried  their  ideas  of 
self-government  to  New  Netherland,  wheil  the  Quakers,  French 
Huguenots,  Roman  Catholics  and  German  Palatines  fled  to  the  New 
World  to  escape  religious  persecution,  and  when  the  cavaliers  of  the 
South  came  to  America  in  protest  against  the  Hanoverians,  the  germs 
of  the  Revolution  were  planted  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  This  "state 
of  opinion,"  as  John  Adams  called  it,  formed  the  groundwork  for  the 
Revolution. 

2  For  a  century  and  a  half  —  a  period  stretrhing  as  far  back  of  the 
Revolution  as  we  are  ahead  of  it  —  these  colonists,  increased  by  later 
arrivals,  were  permitted  to  develop  their  own  institutions  in  their  own 

[9] 


NEW  ^ORK  MILE-STONES 

Above,  the  seventh  and  tenth  mile-stones;  below,  the  eleventh  and  fifteenth  mile- 
stones, measuring  from  the  New  York  City  Hall  on  the  Albany  Post  Road 


CAUSES    OF    THE    REVOLUTION  11 

way,  with  less  interference  from  the  home  government  than  has  been 
commonly  believed.  In  consequence,  in  the  freer  atmosphere  of 
frontier  communities  amid  the  democratic  influences  of  a  new  continent, 
the  colonists  created  machinery  of  self-government,  enjoyed  greater 
religious  toleration,  exercised  more  initiative  in  regulating  their  social, 
economic  and  cultural  life,  and  became  more  self-reliant  and  inde- 
pendent than  was  possible  in  the  Old  World.  These  tendencies  were 
accentuated  by  the  neglect  and  ignorance  of  the  motherland.  The 
restraints  placed  on  the  colonies  by  the  British  trading  corporations 
and  by  parliament,  and  the  interference  with  their  trade  and  com- 
merce by  exacting  laws,  generated  a  spirit  of  resistance.  So  little 
value  was  placed  on  the  real  and  potential  resources  of  the  colonists 
that  the  Navigation  Laws  and  other  restrictive  measures  were  not 
rigidly  enforced.  Thus  the  colonists  were  left  free,  in  large  measure, 
to  fashion  their  own  lives,  to  develop  their  own  institutions,  to  prop- 
agate their  own  ideas,  and  to  mold  their  own  civilization. 

3  As  a  result  of  these  unprecedented  conditions  in  the  American 
corner  of  the  British  Empire,  there  grev/  up  gradually  on  this  side  of 
the  Atlantic  what  was  virtually  a  new  nation  with  a  nev/  interpretation 
of  the  British  constitution,  which  differed  fundamentally  from  that  held 
in  England.  At  last,  when  the  English  government  sought  to  enforce 
its  view  of  the  character  of  the  Empire  and  of  the  constitution  on  the, 
colonists,  together  with  its  conception  of  the  subordinate  relation  of 
the  colonies  to  the  parent  state,  it  encountered  the  opposition  of  forces 
that  had  been  growing  for  150  years.  The  changed  attitude  had  come 
about  so  gradually  and  so  unconsciously  that  the  policy  of  the  British 
government  after  1765  seemed  to  the  colonists  like  harsh  oppression, 
and  the  attitude  of  the  colonists  seemed  to  English  statesmen  like  un- 
warranted rebellion. 

4  The  victorious  French  and  Indian  war,  1756-63,  had  two  im- 
portant consequences  which  brought  on  a  crisis.  In  the  first  place,  it 
left  the  mother  country  with  a  national  debt  which  for  that  day 
amounted  to  the  enormous  sum  of  S700  000,000.  In  the  second  place, 
the  eyes  of  British  statesmen  were  opened  to  the  great  wealth  of  the 
colonics  and,  as  a  result,  plans  were  devised  to  tax  the  colonies  in  order 
to  relieve  the  heavy  burden  at  home.  It  was  decided  to  enforce  rigidly 
the  Navigation  Acts  of  1660-63,  which  were  intended  to  compel  the 
colonists  to  export  their  goods  in  English  ships  manned  by  British 
crews  and  to  prevent  their  shipping  goods  to  any  but  British  ports. 
These  acts  likewise  prevented  European  goods,  except  salt  and  wines, 
from  being  sent  to  the  colonies  without  the  payment  of  duties.  Now 
these  acts  had  been  so   indifferently   enforced  for  a  century  that  a 


12  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

large  part  of  the  tea,  fruit,  sugar,  molasses  and  other  foreign  com- 
modities used  in  the  colonies  was  smuggled.  When  about  1765  it 
was  resolved  to  revive  the  Navigation  Acts  and  to  pass  others  such  as 
the  Stamp  Act  to  raise  a  revenue  in  America,  the  shippers,  wholesalers, 
and  retailers  of  the  colonial  coast  towns  raised  their  voices  in  loud 
protest  and  said  there  could  be  no  "taxation  without  representation." 
The  hostility  of  the  mercantile  class  between  1765  and  1775  was  so 
pronounced  that  they  took  the  lead  in  inciting  acts  of  protest  against 
the  measures  of  the  British  parliament. 

5  In  1761  and  1763  the  British  government  forbade  trading  with 
the  Indians  unless  a  royal  license  had  first  been  secured  and  also 
prohibited  settlers  and  speculators  from  obtaining  lands  from  the 
Indians  beyond  the  Allegheny  mountains.  In  1768  the  Fort  Stanwix 
treaty  defined  the  line  more  strictly.  These  measures  irritated  the 
numerous  traders,  trappers,  adventurers,  speculators  and  frontiersmen 
from  the  St  Lawrence  to  Florida  and  caused  them  to  range  themselves 
on  the  side  of  the  merchants  and  shippers  in  denouncing  interference 
from  overseas  with  their  rights. 

6  The  planters  of  the  South  had  been  accustomed  to  borrow  money 
from  English  bankers  and  merchants  to  harvest  and  market  their 
crops.  They  were  also  encouraged  to  buy  on  credit  larger  quantities  of 
goods  from  British  houses  than  they  needed.  In  time  they  found  them- 
selves deeply  indebted  to  English  capitalists.  Then  they  sought  to  pay 
their  debts  with  cheap  paper  money.  The  English  creditors  appealed 
to  parliament  for  protection  and  the  debts  were  ordered  paid  in  sound 
money.  As  a  result,  the  planters  joined  the  businessmen  and  frontiers- 
men and  traders  in  resenting  the  financial  policy  of  Great  Britain  in 
dealing  with  the  colonies. 

7  Finally,  in  the  New  World,  a  large  part  of  the  population  con- 
sisted of  day  laborers,  tenant  farmers,  small  shopkeepers,  and  semi- 
skilled workers  who  lived  a  freer  and  happier  life  than  their  fellows 
in  the  Old  World,  but  who  had  not  accumulated  much  wealth.  They 
were  ready  to  join  any  movement  that  promised  to  improve  their 
economic  lot,  raise  them  in  the  social  scale,  and  increase  their  political 
rights.  In  the  large  cities  this  element  could  easily  be  incited  to  cry 
for  liberty  and  to  denounce  tyranny.  It  played  no  small  role  in  the 
struggle. 

8  For  the  decade  between  1765  and  1775  various  measures  passed 
by  parliament  to  raise  a  revenue  in  America  or  to  assert  control  over 
the  colonies,  or  to  punish  them  for  disobedience,  had  the  general  effect 
of  welding  these  various  elements  into  a  powerful  party  of  opposition. 
Opposition  quickly  developed  into  armed  rebellion.  Rebellion  ended 
in  Revolution  which  separated  the  colonies  from  the  motherland. 


CAUSES    OF    THE    REVOLUTION  13 

The  Sugar  Act  of  1764  to  support  10,000  British  soldiers  in  America; 
the  Stamp  Act  of  1765;  the  Declaratory  Act  of  1766;  the  tax  on  tea, 
glass,  paper,  etc.,  in  1767;  the  suspension  of  the  power  of  the  Assembly 
of  New  York  in  1767;  the  creation  of  a  Customs  House  for  America  in 
1767;  the  dissolution  of  Massachusetts  Assembly  in  1768  for  refusing 
to  rescind  a  "Circular  Letter"  to  <the  other  colonies;   the  seizure  of 
John  Hancock's  sloop  "Liberty"  for  a  false  entry  in  1768;  the  dispatch 
of  British  troops  to  Boston  in  1768;  the  parliamentary  resolution  for 
trial  of  treason  in  the  colonies  in  1769;  the  riot  of  Golden  Hill  in 
New  York  and  the  Boston  Massacre  in  1770;  the  suppression  of  the 
"regulators"  in  North  Carolina  in  1771;  the  arrival  of  tea  in  America 
in  1773;  the  passage  of  the  Boston  Port  Bill  in  1774;  the  decision  to 
take  persons  accused  of  opposition  to  the  government  to  England  for 
trial  in  1774;  the  concentration  of  British  troops  in  Boston  and  the 
fortification  of  the  city  in  1774;  the  dissolution  of  the  Massachusetts 
assembly  by  royal  order  in  1774;  the  act  for  restraining  the  trade  of 
colonies  in  1775;  and  the  British  expedition  to  Salem,  Mass.,  to  seize 
cannon  on  February  26,  1775,  constituted  the  immediate  causes  which 
culminated  in  the   skirmishes  of  Lexington   and   Concord,   April   19, 
1775;   the  capture  of  Fort  Ticonderoga,  May  10,  and  Crown  Point, 
May  12,  1775;  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  June  17,  1775;  and  the  fall 
of  Montreal,   November   12,    1775.     Between   April    19   and   Novem- 
ber 12,  1775,  under  the  direction  of  extra-legal  continental  and  pro- 
vincial bodies,  the  British  colonies  in  America  mobilized  for  armed 
rebellion,  which  rapidly  developed  into  revolution.     The  part  played 
by  the  patriots  of  New  York  from  1763  to  1775  was  an  important  one 
in  this  train  of  events. 

The  British  naval  captains  aroused  the  hostility  of  New  Yorkers  by 
their  repeated  efforts  to  seize  Americans  for  their  ships  under  the  bar- 
barous "pressing"  system  of  that  day.  In  1764  some  fi^shermen  in 
New  York  bay  were  impressed  on  a  British  frigate.  When  the  captain 
of  the  vessel  visited  the  city  in  a  small  boat,  the  next  day,  the  com- 
panions of  the  impressed  men  burned  the  captain's  boat  and  forced 
him  to  sign  an  order  for  the  release  of  the  "pressed"  fishermen.  This 
incident  was  both  typical  and  significant.  It  showed  the  harsh  power 
exercised  by  those  from  overseas  and  revealed  the  spirit  of  resistance 
in  the  colonies.  It  presaged  a  conflict  between  the  two  unless  some 
compromise  could'he  reached. 

On  March  8,  1764,  the  New  York  merchants  sent  a  memorial  to  the 
Lords  of  Trade  protesting  against  the  injustice  of  the  Sugar  Act.  A 
month  later  they  declared  their  grievances  in  a  petition  to  parliament 
from  the  Assembly.    Parliament  modified  the  Sugar  Act  as  a  result  of 


14  THE   AMZrJCArJ   REVOLUTION   VJ   NEW   YORK 

this  opposition.  The  Assembly  authorized  in  that  year  a  committee  to 
correspond  with  the  other  colonies  relative  to  objectionable  measures. 
The  committee  of  correspondence  subsequently  became  an  important 
agency  in  bringing  on  the  Revolution. 

When  reports  of  the  intention  to  pass  the  Stamp  Act  reached  New 
York  in  1764,  the  Assembly  urged  united  action  in  the  name  of  English 
liberty  against  the  objectionable  duty  on  the  ground  that  the  people 
were  being  taxed  without  their  consent.  This  was  "the  beginning  of 
official  action  in  behalf  of  American  union  for  American  interests  and 
the  honor  of  it  belongs  to  New  York."  William  Smith,  William  Liv- 
ingston and  John  Morin  Scott,  all  educated  at  Yale,  led  the  popular 
party.  Lieutenant  Governor  Golden  reported  the  action  of  the  As- 
sembly as  "undutiful  and  indecent." 

The  Stamp  Act  was  approved  by  George  III  on  March  22,  1765,  and 
news  cf  its  enactment  reached  New  York  on  April  11th.  It  was 
printed  in  New  Jersey  in  a  pamphlet  by  J.  Parker,  and  a  copy  is  still 
preserved  in  the  New  York  Public  Library. 

The  Stamp  Act  of  1765  produced  the  first  of  a  series  of  crises  which 
a  decade  later  resulied  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  The  idea 
of  collecting  money  through  the  sale  of  stamps  and  stamped  paper 
required  for  all  sorts  of  legal  transactions  was  not  new.  It  had  been 
tried  in  both  England  and  the  colonics.  In  1756  New  York  enacted  a 
stamp  duty  for  "all  Vellum  Parchment  and  Paper"  and  created  "a 
Stamp  Ofi&ce"  to  collect  the  revenue.  It  was  not  the  cost  of  the  stamped 
paper  so  much  as  the  principle  involved  in  the  method  that  aroused 
the  colonists.  For  the  first  time  the  British  parliament  openly  sought 
to  force  the  American  colonists  to  pay  money  into  the  British  treasury 
without  the  approval  of  their  own  assemblies.  "Taxation  without  rep- 
resentation" was  the  issue  —  not  a  new  one  —  but  an  immediate  one. 

News  of  the  passage  of  the  Stamp  Act  sent  a  wave  of  indignation 
over  the  colonies  from  New  Hampshire  to  Georgia.  "Nowhere  was 
opposition  more  active  or  determined  than  in  New  York,"  where  Golden 
reported  that  "it  occasioned  a  universal  tumult."  The  New  York 
stamp  collector,  James  McEvers,  a  merchant,  appointed  on  July  1st, 
resigned  his  office  on  August  30th  out  of  fear  of  personal  injury. 
Governor  Moore  said  that  "the  whole  city  rose  up  as  one  man  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  Stamp  Act."  The  newspapers  were  filled  with  hostile  arti- 
cles during  the  early  fall  of  1765,  urging  the  people  to  refuse  to  pur- 
chase the  obnoxious  stamped  paper. 

When  the  stamps  and  stamped  paper  arrived  at  New  York  Gity  on 
October  23,  1765,  rioters  threatened  to  destroy  ship  and  cargo  if  the 
hated  paper  was  not  surrendered  to  them.     The  stamped  paper  was 


CAUSES   OF   THE   REVOLUTION  15 

removed  to  a  warship,  and  3  days  later  lodged  in  the  fort  for  safety. 
When  the  "Minerva"  arrived  November  15th  willi  a  second  consign- 
ment of  stamped  paper,  it  was  likewise  stored  away  and  not  sold.  The 
Sons  of  Liberty,  unusually  vigilant,  persuaded  the  merchants  to 
form  a  nonimportation  agreement;  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to 
induce  people  to  carry  on  business  as  usual  widiout  stamped  paper. 

Placards  appeared  on  the  streets  of  New  York  City  bearing  the 
follov/ing  threat:  "Pro  Patria.  The  first  Man  that  either  distributes 
or  makes  use  of  Stamp  Paper,  let  him  take  care  of  his  House,  Person 
&  Effects.  Vox  Populi;  We  dare."  Franklin's  famous  woodcut  of  a 
snake  cut  into  pieces  with  the  words,  "Join  or  die"  was  printed  for  the 
first  time  in  New  York.  A  newspaper  of  the  metropolis  announced  that 
on  February  7,  1765,  "Lady  North  American  Liberty"  had  "died  of  a 
cruel  stamp  on  her  vitals,"  but  had  left  an  only  son  "prophetically 
named  Independence,"  on  whom  all  hopes  were  centered  "when  he 
shall  come  of  age." 

The  spirit  of  resistance  in  New  York  City  was  increased  by  the 
presence  of  the  Stamp  Act  Congress  there  from  October  7th  to  25th. 
Called  by  a  circular  letter  of  the  Massachusetts  Assembly  on  June 
8th,  at  the  suggestion  of  New  York,  nine  colonies  sent  two  delegates 
each  to  this  first  genuinely  American  Congress.  Previous  intercolonial 
congresses  had  been  summoned  by  the  British  government  or  by  royal 
governors.  This  was  an  extra-legal  Continental  Congress  called  to 
meet  an  emergency.  Its  proceedings,  still  preserved,  show  that  it 
voted  by  colonies.  New  York  was  represented  by  the  Assembly's  com- 
mittee of  correspondence,  and  the  most  conspicuous  member  was  Philip 
Livingston.  After  eleven  days  of  heated  debate  four  remarkable  state 
papers  were  produced.  In  "A  Declaration  of  Rights  and  Grievances," 
written  by  John  Dickinson,  it  was  maintained  that  the  colonists 
had  "all  the  inherent  rights  and  liberties"  of  subjects  born  in  Great 
Britain;  that  among  those  rights  were  trial  by  jury  and  taxation  by 
their  own  representatives;  that  the  colonists  were  not  represented  in 
parliament  ar.d  hence  the  Stamp  Act  was  an  open  violation  of  their 
rights;  and  that  therefore  the  obnoxious  measure  should  be  repealed. 
Petitions  to  the  king,  to  the  House  of  Lords,  and  to  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, recited  the  same  arguments. 

The  historical  significance  of  the  Stamp  Act  Congress  lies  in  the  fact 
that  it  sprang  spontaneously  from  American  sentiment;  that  it  re- 
vealed settled  convictions  about  the  character  of  the  Empire  and  the 
constitution  which  would  be  stubbornly  maintained;  and  that  it  showed 
a  consciousness  of  solidarity  of  interest  and  political  unity  which 
within  a  fev/  years  were  to  give  birth  to  a  new  Tiation.  "There  ought 
to  be  no  New  England  man,  no  New  Yorker,  known  on  the  continent, 


16  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

but  all  of  US  Americans,"  wrote  Christopher  Gadsden,  a  delegate  from 
South  Carolina.  But  it  was  a  native  son  of  New  York,  John  Morin 
Scott,  a  Yale  graduate  and  a  gifted  lawyer,  who,  before  Virginia  raised 
the  standard  of  resistance  or  Massachusetts  had  pointed  the  way  to 
union,  boldly  advocated  "independence."  He  declared  that  the  "great 
fundamental  principles  of  government  should  be  common  to  all  its 
parts  and  members,  else  the  whole  shall  be  endangered.  If,  then,  the 
interest  of  the  mother  country  and  her  colonies  can  not  be  made  to 
coincide;  if  the  same  constitution  may  not  take  place  in  both;  if  the 
welfare  of  the  mother  country  necessarily  requires  a  sacrifice  of  the 
most  natural  rights  of  the  colonies — -their  right  of  making  their  own 
laws,  and  disposing  of  their  own  property  by  representatives  of  their 
own  choosing  —  if  such  is  really  the  case  between  Great  Britain  and 
her  colonies,  then  the  connection  between  them  ought  to  cease;  and, 
sooner  or  later,  it  must  inevitably  cease." 

With  such  sentiments  in  the  press  and  with  the  inspiration  of  the 
Stamp  Act  Congress  before  them,  it  is  not  strange  that  on  October  31st 
at  a  general  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  New  York  City,  200  of  them 
signed  a  condemnation  of  the  Stamp  Act.  Thus  to  New  York  mer- 
chants belongs  the  honor  of  taking  the  first  practical  steps  in  the  cause 
of  liberty  and  at  the  peril  of  their  personal  and  commercial  interests. 
"Inflammatory  Papers"  were  distributed  among  the  people  by  the  post- 
riders.  A  committee  of  correspondence  was  named  at  the  same  time 
with  Isaac  Sears  as  chairman  to  keep  in  touch  with  other  parts  of  the 
province  and  with  neighboring  colonies. 

On  November  1,  1765,  the  Stamp  Act  went  into  effect.  It  was  a 
doleful  day.  Bells  tolled  the  death  of  American  liberty.  Shops  were 
closed;  flags  hung  at  half-mast;  mourning  costumes  were  donned  by 
the  people;  newspapers  printed  a  skull  in  the  place  where  the  stamp 
should  have  been;  and  protesting  pamphlets  appeared. 

In  the  evening  a  mob  of  several  thousand  collected  before  Fort 
George,  the  symbol  of  royal  authority,  where  Governor  Colden  had 
stored  under  guard  the  stamped  paper  which  had  arrived  while  the 
Stamp  Act  Congress  was  in  session.  The  rioters  threw  stones  at  the 
British  soldiers  and  threatened  to  burn  the  fortress  with  their  torches. 
So  intense  was  the  strain  that  had  the  garrison  fired  on  the  people 
Lexington  might  have  taken  place  in  New  York  ten  years  earlier.  In 
their  midst  the  mob  carried  a  scaffold  on  which  were  two  images  — 
one  to  represent  the  old  grey-haired  governor  with  a  stamped  paper  in 
his  hand,  and  the  other  intended  for  the  devil  whispering  evil  counsel 
in  the  governor's  ear.  Governor  Colden's  coachhouse  near  the  fort  was 
broken  open.  The  effigies  were  placed  in  his  "charriot"  and  paraded 
ajbout   the   streets,   after   which    the   figures   were   hung   on   a   gibbet 


CAUSES    OF    THE  .REVOLUTION  17 

within  100  yards  of  the  '"Fort  Gate,"  and  finally  cut  down  and  burned 
together  with  the  "charriot,"  other  vehicles,  and  the  stable  furniture. 
Colden's  eldest  son  saved  the  governor's  household  goods  from  a 
similar  fate  only  by  moving  them  into  the  fort,  while  his  wife  and 
children  were  hurried  on  board  a  warship  in  the  harbor. 

Meanwhile  the  Stamp  Act,  printed  on  sheets  in  large  letters  under 
the  caption  "England's  Folly  and  America's  Ruin,"  was  raised  on  poles 
and  carried  about  for  the  edification  of  the  public.  Golden  feared  that 
the  mob  would  carry  out  its  threat  to  burn  the  fort  and  plunder  the 
city,  and  reported  that  his  own  life  was  menaced.  "Great  numbers" 
came  in  from  the  country  to  participate  in  these  protests.  A  portion 
of  the  rioters  did  rush  the  residence  of  Major  Thomas  James  of  the 
Royal  Artillery,  who  was  reported  to  have  boasted:  "I  will  cram  the 
stamps  down  the  throats  of  the  people  with  the  end  of  my  sword." 
His  house  was  broken  open,  his  furniture,  books  and  clothing  were 
burnt,  and  his  life  was  threatened.  Golden  reported  that  "a  great  num- 
ber in  the  city"  disapproved  of  this  outbreak. 

On  November  5th,  Golden,  who  had  promised  that  he  would  not  en- 
force the  Stamp  Act,  turned  the  detested  stamped  paper  over  to  the 
mayor  of  the  city  to  be  deposited  in  the  Gity  Hall  under  the  city  watch. 
On  November  11th  the  common  council  congratulated  General  Gage 
upon  the  "restoration  of  this  city's  tranquility"  and  avoidance  of  the 
"impending  evils  of  Givil  War."  Sir  Henry  Moore  arriving  as  Gover- 
nor on  November  13th  reported  on  November  21st  that  he  found  so 
much  opposition  to  the  Stamp  Act  that  he  was  powerless  to  enforce  it. 
To  appease  the  people  he  dismantled  Fort  George.  About  1200  of  the 
freemen  and  freeholders  of  the  city  on  November  26l:h  asked  the 
Assembly  to  issue  a  "Declaration"  of  the  "Rights  of  the  People"  to 
jury  trial  and  taxation  only  by  their  own  representatives.  The  lawyers 
on  December  20th  resolved  to  conduct  their  business  without  stamped 
paper.  The  merchants  of  New  York  Gity  and  other  places  agreed  not 
to  import  English  goods  unless  the  Stamp  Act  should  be  repealed,  and 
this  action  was  followed  by  a  nonconsumption  pledge  by  the  mechanics 
and  tradesmen.  As  a  result  business  was  soon  at  a  standstill.  Farm 
products  declined  in  price,  and  bills  and  debts  went  unpaid.  The 
courts  ceased  to  function  and  no  vessels  were  permitted  to  leave  the 
port.  Debtors  broke  out  of  prison.  Even  children  paraded  the  streets 
at  night  shouting  for  liberty.  The  patriots  began  to  wear  coarse 
homespun  clothes,  and  even  Governor  Moore  to  win  favor  with  the 
populace,  bought  two  homespun  coats.  Marriages  were  not  performed 
with  licenses  requiring  a  stamp.  Traffic  in  land  grants  stopped  be- 
cause stamped  paper  was  necessary  for  the  titles.  The  public  news- 
papers "were  cramm'd  with  treason." 


18  THE  a:,ierican  revolution  in  new  york 

Taking  all  thccc  facts  into  consideration,  it  is  dCl  surprising  that 
Golden,  who  was  a  shrewd  and  capable  student  of  colonial  affairs, 
should  write  on  December  13,  1765,  that  "the  Dependency  or  inde- 
pendency of  the  Colonies  seems  now  to  be  at  the  crisis."  The  Sons  of 
Liberty  a  few  weeks  later  resolved  "to  go  to  the  last  extremity"  with 
their  lives  and  fortunes  to  prevent  the  enforcement  of  the  Stamp  Act, 
and  began  an  active  correspondence  with  the  Sons  of  Liberty  in  other 
colonies  as  to  ways  and  means.  Governor  Moore  was  at  a  loss  to  know 
how  to  act.  When  the  freedom  of  the  city  in  a  gold  box  ^^as  tendered 
him,  he  refused  it  because  the  corporation  .did  not  have  it  written  on 
stamped  paper. 

On  January  9,  1766,  ten  more  boxes  of  stamped  paper  and  parch- 
ment arrived  at  New  York.  This  time  they  were  not  sent  to  the  City 
Hall,  but  were  taken  out  and  burned.  The  Sons  of  Liberty  openly  ap- 
plauded this  act  of  rebellion  but  the  city  fathers  offered  a  reward  for 
the  arrest  of  the  participants.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  few  of  the 
offenders'  names  were  discovered.  When  more  stamped  paper  reached 
the  city  on  January  23th,  the  l^.Iayor  was  more  alert  and  had  it 
"lodged  in  the  city  hall."  On  April  4,  1766,  another  small  bundle  of 
the  stamped  paper  was  burned  at  a  "grand  meeting  of  the  Sons  of 
Liberty." 

Golden  reported  that  outside  of  New  York  City  there  was  little  com- 
motion over  the  Stamp  Act.  On  November  22,  1765,  Sir  William 
Johnson  in  a  letter  to  the  Lords  of  Trade  from  Johnson  Hall  denounced 
the  "audacious  behavior  of  the  New  Yorkers,"  who  were  striving  for 
"that  democratical  system"  and  encouraging  "that  spirit  of  libertinism 
and  independence  daily  gaining  ground."  and  demanded  that  the  "few 
pretended  patriots,"  who  in  reality  were  "enemies  to  the  British  con- 
stitution," should  be  checked.  The  following  January  he  was  \'/riting 
from  the  Mohawk  valley  about  "the  disorders  occasioned  by  our  riot- 
ous people  here."  The  city  of  Albany  remained  quiet  until  after 
members  returned  from  the  Assembly,  when  riots  occurred,  and  there 
was  a  serious  rising  of  tenants  against  landlords.  A  committee  of  the 
Sons  of  Liberty  waited  upon  six  persons  and  forced  five  of  them  to 
take  an  calh  that  they  would  not  accept  the  office  of  stamp  distributor. 
Henry  Van  Schaack,  postmaster,  at  first  refused,  whereupon  the  mob 
entered  his  home,  broke  his  windows  and  furniture  and  made  a  bon- 
fire of  his  pleasure  sleigh  in  the  streets  of  Albany. 

Governor  Moore  reported  on  April  30,  1766,  that  the  "disorders 
which  began  at  first  in  the  towns  have  by  degrees  spread  themselves 
into  the  country"  where  governmental  authority  was  flouted  on  all 
occasions.  One  of  the  results  in  Dutchess  and  Westchester  counties 
was  the  riot  of  tenants  who  threatened  to  burn  New  York  City  unless 


CAUSES    OF    THE    REVOLUTION 


19 


their  leaders  were  released  from  jail.  In  oilier  places  tenants  refused 
to  pay  rents  and  "prescribed  laws  to  their  landlords.'"'  When  they 
resisted  arrest,  a  skirmish  ensued  in  which  about  twenty-four  persons 
were  killed  or  wounded  on  both  sides.  From  Westchester  county  500 
men  with  arms  rnarched  into  the  vicinity  of  New  York  City  ready  to 
act. 


Sir    William   Johnson    Hall 

From   the   painting   by   E.   L.   Henry,   depicting   an  Indian   Council   in   1772. 

Sir  William  is  seen  presenting  a  medal  to  an  Indian;   the  blockhouse  at 

the    left  has    been    burned;    the    one   at   the   right   is   still    standing. 

{Courtesy  of  Mrs    Charles  B.  Knox) 

The  significance  of  these  events  has  not  been  fully  understood.  New 
York  was  on  the  verge  of  civil  war.  These  uprisings  in  the  cities  and 
rural  districts  formed  the  prelude  to  the  Revolution.  The  Governor 
ordered  the  regular  troops  as  well  as  the  militia  "to  be  in  readiness  on 
the  alarm  bell  being  rung"  for  an  attack.  Although  no  general  clash 
occurred  the  death  or  injury  of  twenty-four  persons  was  in  itself  a 
serious  matter,  and  antedated  Lexington  by  almost  9  years. 

George  III  said  that  he  was  "more  and  more  grieved  at  the  accounts 
of  America;  where  this  spirit  will  end  is  not  to  be  said."  He  hurried 
the  summoning  of  parliament  in  order  that  some  conciliatory  action 
might  be  taken.  Franklin  clearly  and  correctly  expressed  the  American 
mind  when  he  told  parliament  that  the  people  would  never  pay  such 
taxes  except  under  compulsion.  Governor  Moore  had  announced 
publicly  that  he  had  suspended  his  power  to  execute  the  Stamp  Act. 
The  Assembly  on  November  19th  approved  of  the  action  of  New  York's 
delegates  to  the  Stamp  Act  Congress,  and  sent  petitions  based  on  those 
of  that  body  to  the  king,  lords  and  commons. 


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CAUSES    OF    THE    REVOLUTION  21 

The  Sons  of  Liberty,  led  by  Sears,  Lamb  and  McDougall,  born  in 
spirit  during  Zenger's  trial  in  1735,  and  christened  after  Barre's  great 
speech  in  1765,  guided  popular  opinion  in  hostility  to  the  Stamp  Act. 
On  November  26th  they  sent  an  anonymous  letter  to  the  Assembly 
demanding,  in  addition  to  opposition  to  the  enforcement  of  the  Stamp 
Act,  the  restoration  of  the  dismantled  fort  at  the  expense  of  Golden,  the 
substitution  of  a  militia  for  British  troops,  and  the  enactment  of  laws 
for  the  welfare  of  the  people.  The  Assembly  objected  to  such  efforts 
at  intimidation  and  asked  the  Governor  to  punish  the  authors  of  the 
letter. 

The  king's  assent  to  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act  had  been  given  on 
IVIarch  18,  1766.  The  governors  in  America  were  informed  in  a  letter 
written  March  31,  1766,  that  the  act  had  been  rescinded.  On  April 
26th  a  British  skipper  brought  the  news  to  New  York  and  at  3  o'clock 
in  the  morning  "all  bells  in  this  place  rang  and  .  .  .  made  a  hideous 
din."  Uncertainty  arising  as  to  the  genuineness  of  the  report,  the 
celebration  was  stopped.  The  true  report  of  the  repeal  came  by  way  of 
Boston  on  May  20th  and  once  more  the  bells  were  set  ringing.  A 
banquet,  speeches  and  bonfires  under  the  auspices  of  the  Sons  of 
Liberty  were  held  the  next  day.  Prayers  of  thanksgiving  were  offered, 
and  a  royal  salute  of  twenty-one  guns  was  fired.  On  June  4th,  the 
king's  birthday,  Governor  Moore  had  an  ox  roasted,  a  hogshead  of 
rum  and  twenty-five  barrels  of  beer  opened,  and  the  people  sang  and 
shouted  their  joy.  A  Liberty  Pole  was  erected  on  the  commons  dedi- 
cated "To  his  most  Gracious  Majesty,  George  III,  Mr  Pitt,  and 
Liberty." 

Apparently  it  was  not  until  June  11th  that  Governor  Moore  officially 
announced  the  repeal  to  the  Council  and  General  Assembly.  At  his 
request  an  address  was  sent  to  the  "best  of  kings,"  George  III,  "with 
joy  undissembled"  expressing  their  gratitude.  The  people  proposed  to 
erect  a  statue  to  William  Pitt,  and  following  this  suggestion  the 
Assembly  on  June  30th  voted  an  equestrian  statue  to  George  III  and 
to  Pitt  "an  elegant  statue  in  brass."  On  February  6,  1768,  the  Assem- 
bly voted  £1000  for  the  monument  to  George  III  and  £500  for  one 
to  William  Pitt.  They  were  made  in  England  and  arrived  June  4, 
1770.  Pitt's  statue  erected  in  Wall  street  was  mutilated  by  British 
troops  in  1777  and  its  headless  trunk  is  now  in  the  New  York  Historical 
Society.  George  Ill's  statue,  set  up  in  Bowling  Green,  was  torn  down 
by  irate  patriots  on  July  9,  1776,  and  part  of  it  was  cast  into  bullets 
in  the  cause  of  independence. 

Down  to  the  opening  days  of  the  Revolution,  March  18th  was  cele- 
brated each  year  to  commemorate  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act.     It 


if'  ',' ',''  i 


^/^^^^t:^^'^^^'^^  ^e^ 


CAUSES    OF    THE    REVOLUTION  23 

served  as  an  occasion  for  assembling  the  "Friends  of  Liberty."  For 
instance  in  1770,  230  persons  had  "an  eligant  entertainment"'  at  which 
forty-five  loyal  and  patriotic  toasts  were  drunk,  and  ten  men  were  sent 
to  dine  with  Captain  McDougall  who  was  in  jail  as  a  result  of  his 
patriotic  enthusiasm. 

When  a  pamphlet  appeared  criticising  Golden  and  the  Stamp  Act  a 
committee  was  named  by  the  Assembly  to  investigate  its  origin.  Yet 
that  body  refused  to  recompense  Golden  for  the  loss  of  his  prop- 
erty at  the  hands  of  the  mob,  although  the  British  government  had 
ordered  it  done.  Ships  sailed  without  "let  passes,"  and  Golden  said 
that  great  quantities  of  goods  continued  to  be  smuggled  into  the 
colony  —  ten  times  more  than  before  the  Stamp  Act. 

In  the  contest  over  the  Stamp  Act  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the 
colonies  won  a  great  victory  for  their  principles.  The  outcome,  with 
the  repeal  of  the  obnoxious  measure,  caused  them  to  feel  that  they 
were  right  in  their  contentions.  In  the  disagreements  immediately 
ahead  the  repeal  of  the  act  was  repeatedly  cited  to  encourage  resist- 
ance to  distasteful  laws.  "Addresses  of  thanks  and  measures  of  rebel- 
lion" were  the  consequences  of  the  repeal,  as  described  by  William 
Knox. 

On  the  heels  of  the  angry  outbreak  against  the  enforcement  of  the 
Stamp  Act  came  the  quarrel  over  the  failure  of  the  Assembly  to  appro- 
priate funds  for  the  care  of  British  troops.  On  December  3,  1765, 
Governor  Moore  sent  a  message  to  the  Assembly  stating  that  under  an 
act  of  the  last  parliament  the  colonies  were  ordered  to  supply  the 
king's  troops  in  America  with  quarters  and  supplies,  and  that  the 
commander  in  chief  had  asked  for  such  provision  from  New  York. 
The  next  month  he  informed  the  Assembly  that  the  British  troops 
would  arrive  shortly,  and  asked  an  appropriation  for  them.  The 
Assembly  refused  it  on  the  grounds  (1)  that  the  experse  was  too 
heavy;  (2)  that  the  number  of  troops  was  uncertain;  and  (3)  that  the 
articles  required  were  too  "unprecedented."  At  last,  however,  the 
Assembly  compromised  and  voted  £4000,  the  balance  in  the  treasury, 
but  a  wholly  inadequate  sum. 

Governor  Moore  reported  to  the  British  government  that  even  this 
small  grant  was  more  the  result  of  compulsion  than  gratitude;  and 
that  every  act  of  parliament  would  meet  the  same  fate  unless  backed 
up  by  force.  The  Assembly  had  refused  to  supply  the  troops  with 
cider  or  beer,  and  in  revenge  on  August  10th  the  Liberty  Pole  was  cut 
down.  The  following  evening  while  the  people  were  re-erecting  the 
pole,  British  soldiers  with  drawn  bayonets  assaulted  them  wounding 
among  others  the  popular  idol,  Isaac  Sears.     A  second  Liberty  Pole 


24  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

was  erected  at  once.  This  incident  and  others  made  the  royal  troops 
so  unpopular  that  the  Assembly  on  December  15,  1766,  refused  out- 
right to  comply  with  Governor  Moore's  request  for  supplies.  Hence 
4  days  later  that  body  was  prorogued.  George  III  said  New  York's 
action  was  "rebellion."  Parliament  singled  out  this  colony  for 
special  punishment  and,  in  July  1767,  suspended  the  law-making 
powers  of  the  Assembly  until  it  should  comply  fully  with  the  law. 
Up  to  this  time,  apparently,  no  such  arbitrary  step  had  been  taken 
by  the  British  government  in  coercing  New  York.  On  June  6,  1767, 
however,  the  Assembly  had  already  voted  £3000  for  troops  in  New 
York  and  consequently  the  punitive  act  was  not  enforced.  The  As- 
sembly was  dissolved  on  January  2,  1769,  by  Governor  Moore  because 
of  its  insolent  action.  The  newly  elected  Assembly  yielded  in  1769. 
This  accommodating  Assembly  was  kept  in  power  until  the  outbreak 
of  the  Revolutionary  War.  Fifteen  of  its  members  were  Tories  and 
ten  patriots  or  Whigs. 

The  surrender  of  the  Assembly  in  voting  supplies  for  British  troops 
aroused  the  wrath  of  the  people  of  New  York.  At  a  huge  mass  meet- 
ing in  New  York  City,  over  which  John  Lamb  presided,  a  vote  of 
censure  was  passed  condemning  that  body  for  having  betrayed 
the  cause  of  the  people.  The  Assembly  resented  this  charge, 
denounced  the  meeting  as  seditious  and  arrested  Lamb.  The  courts 
quickly  released  him.  Then  Alexander  McDougall  was  arrested  for 
making  an  attack  on  the  Assembly  in  a  public  placard.  Less  fortunate 
than  Lamb,  he  was  kept  in  jail  over  a  year  awaiting  trial  for  libelous 
statements.  Soon  his  cause  aroused  public  sympathy  and  he  became 
a  popular  hero.  Banquets  were  held  in  his  honor,  presents  were  sent 
him  and  crowds  visited  his  cell.  Not  since  Zenger's  trial  in  1735  had 
a  law  case  awakened  so  much  interest  and  excitement.  Only  after 
the  principal  witness  against  him  died  was  he  released. 

Meantime  Boston  had  become  obstreperous.  General  Gage  and 
some  of  his  soldiers  were  transferred  to  that  center  of  trouble,  thus 
relaxing  the  tension  somewhat  in  New  York.  Redcoats  enough  were 
left,  however,  to  occasion  frequent  clashes.  Since  the  Sons  of  Liberty, 
who  led  all  these  popular  demonstrations,  were  now  wrangling  with 
the  Assembly,  the  British  officers  no  longer  restrained  their  troops  and 
clashes  and  street  fights  became  more  common.  In  January  1770,  the 
Liberty  Pole  was  again  cut  down.  This  act  aroused  the  ire  of  the 
Sons  of  Liberty  and  people  who,  in  a  public  meeting  at  the  scene  of 
the  outrage,  adopted  a  resolution  that  all  soldiers  found  on  the  streets 
after  roll  call  "should  be  treated  as  enemies  to  the  peace  of  the  city" 
and  pledged  themselves  to  enforce  the  measure. 


CAUSES    OF    THE    REVOLUTION  25 

The  next  morning  placards  were  found  posted  up  in  various  parts 
of  the  city  ridiculing  the  resolutions  just  passed  and  daring  the  citizens 
to  enforce  them.  During  the  day  Sears  and  his  friends  found  three 
soldiers  putting  up  more  of  the  handhills.  A  skirmish  ensued  and  the 
offenders  were  being  taken  to  the  mayor,  when  reinforced  by  twenty 
others.  A  general  fight  with  cutlasses,  stones  and  clubs  took 
place  near  or  on  Golden  Hill.  In  this  brush  several  patriots  and 
soldiers  were  badly  wounded.  "Much  blood  was  spilt"  wrote  a 
contemporary.  A  group  of  officers  sent  the  soldiers  to  their  barracks. 
In  the  days  following  a  number  of  frays  occurred,  until  the  mayor 
issued  a  proclamation  forbidding  the  soldiers  to  leave  their  barracks 
unless  accompanied  by  a  noncommissioned  officer.  Another  Liberty 
Pole  was  shortly  erected  which  remained  until  taken  down  on  October 
28,  1776,  by  the  British.  This  engagement  has  come  to  be  known  in 
history  as  the  "Battle  of  Golden  Hill."  It  preceded  by  several  weeks 
the  Boston  Massacre. 

The  "association,"  was  an  effective  method  of  protest,  which  in- 
volved deprivations  and  hardships  because  by  boycotting  English 
goods  the  colonists  refused  to  purchase  many  badly  needed  articles. 
Of  the  colonies  New  York  alone  faithfully  observed  this  nonimporta- 
tion agreement,  although  much  of  its  prosperity  depended  upon  its 
commerce.  Thus  both  commercial  needs  and  commercial  restrictions 
deepened  the  chasm  between  England  and  America.  In  the  spring  of 
1768  the  New  York  merchants  once  more  resorted  to  the  boycott  in 
order  to  compel  the  repeal  of  the  duty  levied  on  paper,  glass,  and 
other  articles.  Nearly  all  the  merchants  signed  it  and  the  tradesmen 
and  mechanics  revived  the  nonconsumption  pledge.  No  less  a  per- 
sonage than  Burke  was  the  English  agent  of  the  colony  of  New  York. 

By  1770  the  differences  between  the  British  government  and  the 
American  colonials  had  incited  armed  clashes  in  which  blood  was 
shed.  In  the  conflict  over  the  Stamp  Act  one  may  say  that  the  colon- 
ists were  guilty  of  insurrection.  This  insurrection  shortly  progressed 
to  reI>ellion.  Revolution  quickly  followed  rebellion.  The  underlying 
causes  of  this  appeal  to  the  god  of  war  permeated  a  century  and  a  half 
of  colonial  history.  The  Stamp  Act  and  other  irritating  measures 
supplied  the  excuse  for  the  exchange  of  blows. 


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II 

RISE   OF  THE   REVOLUTIONARY  COMMITTEE   SYSTEM 

For  a  century  and  a  half  prior  to  the  Revolution  the  people  of 
New  York  had  been  accustomed  to  act  through  representative  com- 
mittees in  order  to  win  one  concession  after  another  for  self-govern- 
ment. During  the  Dutch  period  the  Twelve  Men,  the  Eight  Men,  the 
Nine  Men,  and  other  groups,  wrested  rights  for  the  people  from  auto- 
cratic governors  and  the  mercenary  West  India  Company.  Similarly 
the  English  on  Long  Island  and  in  Westchester  county,  accustomed 
to  the  town  meeting,  expressed  their  protests  through  their  local  com- 
mittees. Thus  almost  from  the  outset  the  people  of  this  colony  had 
perfected  the  machinery  for  uttering  their  discontent  and  demands. 
During  the  Leisler  Rebellion,  Stephen  Van  Cortlandt  wrote  to  Governor 
Dongan  on  July  9,  1689,  "They  have  appointed  a  Committee  of 
Safety"  which  "opens  all  letters"  and  "raised  60  men  whereof  Jacob 
Leyslaer  is  Capt."  "Our  present  Govt  here  is  a  Committee  of 
Safety,"  Mr  Tudor  reported  to  Captain  Nicholson.  This  committee 
took  over  the  customs  house,  carried  on  correspondence  and  kept 
minutes  of  its  proceedings.  It  even  ordered  new  elections,  and  some 
of  the  members  of  the  committee  were  summoned  by  Leisler  to  serve 
in  his  council. 

During  the  controversy  over  the  enforcement  of  the  Navigation 
Laws,  the  Sugar  Act  of  1764  and  the  Stamp  Act  of  1765,  committees 
were  created  in  New  York  to  correspond  with  those  of  other  colonies 
and  to  contrive  means  of  opposing  those  measures.  Similar  commit- 
tees were  organized  elsewhere.  Even  the  assemblies  created  commit- 
tees of  correspondence.  The  Assembly  of  New  York  had  such  a  com- 
mittee, which  was  delegated  to  represent  the  colony  in  the  Stamp  Act 
Congress.  Indeed  that  Congress  was  a  "convention  of  committees." 
These  early  committees  grew  out  of  specific  needs,  it  is  true,-  but  they 
were  the  prototypes  of  those  that  followed. 

As  the  conflict  between  the  colonists  and  the  English  government 
became  more  acute,  the  people,  distrusting  their  regular  representa- 
tives, gradually  assumed  the  leadership  of  resistance.  When  Governor 
Tryon  fled  to  the  British  warship  in  New  York  harbor,  the  Council 
ceased  to  meet  regularly,  the  Assembly  seemed  like  a  ship  without  a 
rudder,  and  the  colonial  government  virtually  ceased  to  function.   Out 

[27] 


28 


THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 


of  this  situation  the  committee  system  arose  as  a  logical  and  natuial 
solution  of  the  problem.  Called  into  existence  by  necessity,  the  com- 
mittee system  performed  the  important  function  of  tiding  over  the 
transition  from  colony  to  statehood.  It  provided  orderly  government 
during  a  period  which  otherwise  would  have  been  one  of  anarchy 
and  chaos.  It  was  based  on  the  eighteenth  century  political  philos- 
ophy that  whenever  life,  liberty,  propeirty  and  the  pursuit  of  happi- 
ness suffer  at  the  hands  of  an  established  government,  "it  is  the  right 
of  the  people  to  alter  or  abolish  it,  and  to  institute  new  government 
.     most  likely  to  effect  their  safety  and  happiness." 


Billupp   House,   Tuttenville,    Staten    Island 

The  historical  significance  of  the  committee  system  in  the  change 
from  a  monarchial  to  a  republican  government  has  not  been 
sufficiently  recognized  by  historians  of  the  Revolution.  Too  much 
attention  has  been  centered  on  the  military  skirmishes  and  battles  and 
too  little  on  these  extra-legal  local  and  state  committees  which,  before 
an  orderly  civil  government  was  created,  had  to  enact  law  and  enforce 
it,  perform  judicial  and  police  duties,  suppress  the  Loyalists,  raise 
funds,  recruit  soldiers,  furnish  military  supplies  and  perform  a 
thousand  other  duties  which  were  necessary  to  keep  the  peace,  protect 


THE    COMMITTEE    SYSTEM  29 

property,  safeguard  the  rights  of  the  people  and  carry  on  an  orderly 
organized  society.  It  took  as  much  intelligence,  heroism,  sound  judg- 
ment, foresight,  and  patriotism  to  attain  these  objects  as  it  did  to  de- 
feat the  enemy  on  tJie  battlefield. 

These  committees  enable  us  to  see  how  the  common  people  in  their 
various  communities  throughout  the  State  were  doing  their  share  to 
win  the  blessings  of  self-government.  In  these  local  centers  of  colon- 
ial life,  faith  and  courage  were  creating  in  America  a  real  democracy 
- — intelligent,  self-reliant  and  efficient.  Indeed  the  actual  revolution 
did  not  take  place  on  the  fields  of  bloody  encounter.  It  occurred 
first  in  the  changed  ideas  of  individuals.  Then  it  expressed  itself 
through  the  resolves  and  activities  of  the  numerous  committees  repre- 
senting the  patriot  portion  of  the  people.  Finally  it  was  realized 
through  the  changed  institutions — political,  social,  economic  and  cul- 
tural— of  the  colonists.  The  defeat  of  the  English  and  the  Loyalists 
on  the  field  of  battle  did  not  bring  on  the  Revolution — it  merely 
cleared  the  stage  for  its  realization.  The  committees,  and  congresses, 
without  the  sanction  of  either  colonial  or  imperial  law,  organized  the 
Revolution  and  military  victory  itself  was  largely  dependent  upon 
the  successful  accomplishment  of  the  tasks  of  these  various  commit- 
tees. The  names  of  the  committeemen  deserve  to  be  placed  on  the 
roll  of  honor  along  with  those  of  the  soldiers  and  the  statesmen.  Me- 
morials might  well  be  erected  during  the  Sesquicentennial  to  com- 
memorate their  work. 

The  history  of  the  committees  is  interesting  as  giving  an  account 
of  how  the  system  operated.  Unfortunately  the  minutes  of  most  of 
the  local  committees  have  been  lost.  Sufficient  records  have  survived, 
however,  to  present  a  fairly  accurate  picture  of  both  the  organiza- 
tion and  the  operation  of  the  system.  The  partial  minutes  of  the 
district  committee  of  Schenectady,  the  only  ones  to  survive  appar- 
ently, have  been  printed  by  the  State.  The  minutes  of  two  county 
committees,  those  of  Tryon  and  Albany,  have  been  preserved  at  least 
in  part.  Those  of  the  Tryon  County  Committee  of  Safety  were  edited 
by  Samuel  L.  Frey  and  printed  in  1905.  Those  of  the  Albany 
County  Committee  of  Correspondence,  1775-78,  were  published  in 
1923  by  the  State. 

The  Provincial  Congress  was  itself  a  revolutionary  state 
committee  and  will  be  treated  in  a  later  chapter.  It  appointed 
various  temporary  and  permanent  committees  and  commis- 
sions with  judicial  and  executive  functions;  of  these  the  minutes 
have  survived  ^in  two  instances.  The  Minutes  of  the  Com- 
missioners for  Detecting  and  Defeating  Conspiracies,  Albany  County 


u 


X 


THE    COMMITTEE    SYSTEM  31 

Sessions,  ,1778-81,  were  published  by  the  State  in  1909,  and  the  Min- 
utes of  the  Committee  and  of  the  First  Commission  for  Detecting  and 
Defeating  Conspiracies,  1776-78,  were  printed  by  the  New  York  His- 
torical Society  in  1924—25.  In  the  Journals  of  the  Provincial  Con- 
gress, the  Calendar  of  Revolutionary  Papers  and  Force's  American 
Archives  there  are  many  letters  of  local  committees  and  in  a  few  in- 
stances portions  of  the  minutes. 

The  Townshend  Acts  of  1767  reawakened  the  disturbance  occasioned 
by  the  Stamp  Act  and  furnished  an  occasion  for  protests  through  com- 
mittees. These  Acts  provided  (1)  that  customs  officers  should 
be  sent  to  America  to  collect  the  duties;  (2)  that  new  customs 
duties  should  be  placed  on  glass,  paints,  tea  etc.;  (3)  that  writs  of 
assistance  were  legal;  and  (4)  that  concessions  to  the  East  India  Com- 
pany should  enable  it  to  sell  tea  in  America  at  a  price  low  enough  to 
drive  out  smuggled  tea.  Objection  had  been  raised  to  the  stamp  duties 
because  they  were  a  direct  tax.  These  new  duties  were  an  indirect 
tax,  and  the  colonists  themselves  had  admitted  the  legality  of  such  a 
tax.  It  was  also  proposed  to  pay  the  colonial  crown  officers  out  of 
these  revenues  and  thus  make  them  independent  of  the  assemblies. 
Governor  Moore  was  the  first  royal  governor  of  New  York  to  be  paid 
out  of  the  imperial  treasury. 

Having  won  one  victory  over  direct  taxation,  the  colonists  now  pro- 
ceeded to  fight  the  imposition  of  indirect  taxes.  In  a  circular  letter 
to  the  other  colonies  in  1768,  Massachusetts  asked  them  to  protest 
against  the  new  tax.  At  a  meeting  of  merchants  in  New  York  City, 
April  8,  1768,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  revive  the  nonimportation 
agreement  as  the  best  means  of  securing  the  repeal  of  the  Townshend 
Acts.  The  Sons  of  Liberty  once  more  became  active.  The  Assembly 
protested  against  the  new  measures  and  thanked  the  merchants  for 
their  patriotic  zeal.  When  goods  arrived  from  England  they  were 
stored  unopened.  Colden  announced  that  the  objectionable  duties 
would  probably  be  removed.  When  the  Assembly  voted  money  for 
the  British  troops,  at  a  protest  meeting  of  400  people  a  committee  of 
eight  was  appointed  to  carry  the  objections  of  the  gathering  to  the 
city  authorities  and  to  the  Assembly. 

During  the  years  1769  and  1770  New  York  City  had  the  reputation 
of  standing  firmly  by  its  agreement  to  boycott  all  English  goods. 
On  March  13,  1769,  a  special  committee  was  named  to  "inspect  all 
European  importations."  The  merchants  of  New  York  City  on  May 
30,  1770,  resolved  "That  we  will,  to  the  Utmost  of  our  Power,  by  all 
legal  means,  preserve  the  Nonimportation  Agreement  inviolate  in  the 
city  and  colony"  until  the  objectionable  duties  were  repealed.     Up- 


32  THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

river  towns  like  Albany  had  their  own  local  cornraittees  to  communi- 
cate intelligence  and  to  enforce  the  nonimportation  pledge.  On  April 
18,  1770,  however,  the?  Albany  committee  announced  the  intention  to 
restrict  the  boycott  to  tea.  Knowing  that  other  colonies  were  not  rig- 
idly enforcing  the  nonimportation  compact,  the  New  York  Committee 
of  Correspondence  asked  other  cities  to  send  delegates  to  a  conference 
at  Norwalk,  Conn.,  on  June  18,  1770,  to  formulate  some  general 
plan  "for  the  benefit  of  the  whole."  When  the  other  colonies  re- 
fused to  do  so,  sentiment  in  New  York  was  divided  as  to  the  course 
to  follow.  One  group  opposed  separate  observance  of  nonimportation; 
the  other  faction  insisted  on  action  without  waiting  for  the  other 
colonies  to  conform.  This  latter  group  was  defeated,  however,  in  a 
vote  taken  in  the  city,  when  3000  persons  voted  to  modify  the  non- 
importation agreement  and  1154  to  enforce  it  unchanged.  After  this 
action  was  taken,  neighboring  colonies  criticised  New  York.  "You 
have  certainly  weakened  the  Union  of  the  Colonies  .  .  .  and 
deserted  the  Cause  of  Liberty  and  your  Country,"  wrote  the  Phila- 
delphia merchants.  Connecticut  was  surprised  that  the  people  who 
were  first  to  sign  the  agreement  should  be  the  first  to  break  it.  Dur- 
ing the  years  1771  and  1772  conditions  in  New  York  were  quiet  and 
almost  normal,  and  the  committees  became  inactive. 

Samuel  Adams  in  a  circular  letter  in  1772  urged  the  organization 
of  local  committees,  and  by  January  1773,  Massachusetts  had  eighty 
or  more  of  these  bodies.  In  1773  the  House  of  Burgesses  of  Virginia 
suggested  the  creation  of  a  standing  committee  of  correspondence. 
The  idea  found  a  ready  response  and  by  1774  every  colony  except 


I  To    the    PUBLIC.  J 

T  rTT^HE  Senfe  of  the  City  relative  to  t"he  Landing  the  Ifldii  X 
T  I  Company's  Tea,  being  figoified  to  Captain  Lockycr,  by  m 
T  Jl  the  Committee,  nevertnelcfe,  it  is  the  Defire  of  a  Nmnber  X 
X  of  the  Citizens,  that  at  his  Denartnte  from  hence,  he  fhould  fee,  j| 
j^  with  his  own  Eyes,  their  Deteltation  of  the  Meafures  purfued  by  ^ 
X  the  Miniftry  and  the  India  Company,  to  enflave  this  Country.  J 
A  This  will  be  declared  by  the  Convention  of  the  People  at  his  De-  X 
^  parture  from  this  City ;  which  will  be  on  next  Saturday  Mormjjg,  T 
i  about  nine  o'clock,  when  no  Doubt,  every  Friend  to  this  Country  T 
A  will  attend.  The  Bells  will  give  the  Notice  abom  an  Hour  he-  2 
A  fore  he  embarks  from  Murray's  Wharf.  2 

T  Bj  Order  of  the  CoUMitTti*       X 

J  NEW  YORK.  Apbil  aift,  1774.  T 

Invitation    to   the   first   New  York   tea   party 

(Courtesy  of  Neio   York  Historical  Society) 


THE    COMMITTEE    SYSTEM  33 

Pennsylvania  had  its  provincial  committee.  The  colony  of  New 
York  appointed  a  committee  of  thirteen  in  the  Assembly  on  January 
20,  1774,  which  was  directed  to  keep  watch  of  the  acts  of  parliament, 
to  correspond  with  "our  sister  colonies,"  and  to  report  to  the  house. 

Meanwhile  in  the  fall  of  1773  the  people  of  New  York  began  to 
be  agitated  over  the  tea  tax.  Public  thanks  to  the  captains  of  London 
ships  for  refusing  to  accept  consignments  of  tea  for  New  York  were 
printed  in  the  newspapers  on  October  15th.  Many  of  the  rumors  that 
tea  ships  were  approaching  kept  the  people  stirred  up.  Some  of  the 
patriots,  organized  as  an  unauthorized  committee  calling  themselves 
"the  Mohawks,"  served  notice  in  Rivington's  Gazette,  on  December  2d 
that  they  were  "prepared  to  pay  an  unwelcome  visit"  to  any  persons  ar- 
riving with  the  forbidden  tea.  The  Sons  of  Liberty  circulated  an  "asso- 
ciation" pledge  which  was  generally  signed  not  to  buy,  sell  or  use 
tea.  The  governor's  Council  on  December  1st  decided  to  store  any 
tea  that  might  arrive  in  the  fort  or  lower  barracks.  The  "Liberty 
Boys"  immediately  protested  against  such  action.  On  December  6th 
Henry  White,  Abraham  Lott  and  Benjamin  Booth  were  appointed 
agents  for  the  sale  of  the  tea  of  the  East  India  Company.  They  de- 
clared, however,  that  they  would  not  receive  the  tea  and  suggested 
that  it  be  stored  until  its  disposition  was  decided.  Governor  Tryon 
at  the  same  time  announced  that  he  would  not  use  force  to  compel 
the  people  to  accept  the  tea.  Meanwhile  before  news  of  the  "Boston 
Tea  Party"  on  December  16th  had  been  received,  there  was  organ- 
ized on  December  17th,  the  Committee  of  15  in  New  York  City  to 
correspond  with  other  colonies  concerning  the  detested  herb.  A  meet- 
ing of  1000  citizens  expressed  their  opposition  to  the  landing  of  tea. 

As  the  opening  days  of  1774  passed  with  constant  rumors  of  the 
shipment  of  tea,  the  people  were  in  a  continual  state  of  emotion.  The 
press  bubbled  with  news,  the  patriots  boiled  with  indignation  and  the 
Sons  of  Liberty  once  more  assumed  leadership.  On  March  14,  1774, 
they  were  ordered  to  meet  every  Thursday  until  the  tea  ship  "arrives 
and  departs."  Four  days  later  they  celebrated  the  anniversary  of  the 
repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act  —  a  ceremony  which  had  occurred  annually 
since  1768.  The  tea  pledge  continued  to  be  signed.  At  last  on  April 
18,  1774,  a  broadside  announced  that  the  ship  "Nancy"  had  arrived  off 
Sandy  Hook.  Captain  Lockyer  was  told  that  the  people  were  resolved 
not  to  permit  the  tea  to  be  landed.  After  several  days  of  excited 
bickering  the  ship  was  sent  back  to  England.  Another  ship  in  com- 
mand of  Captain  Chambers,  who  was  not  so  accommodating,  was 
boarded  by  the  "Mohawks"  on  April  22d  at  8  p.  m.  and  eighteen  cases 
of  tea  were  dumped  into  the  water.  This  was  "New  York's  Tea  Party," 
which  has  been  overlooked  by  historians. 


34  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

The  controversy  over  the  tea  ships  developed  a  new  phase  of  the 
committee  system.  To  meet  the  emergency  a  Committee  of  51  was 
chosen  on  May  16,  1774,  by  the  people  in  New  York  City,  "to  cor- 
respond with  the  neighboring  colonies  on  the  important  crisis."  This 
committee  was  the  first  body  in  the  colony  definitely  organized  for 
action,  as  distinguished  from  correspondence  and  measures  of  nonresist- 
ance  against  those  measures  which  precipitated  the  Revolution  and  to 
its  suggestion  the  Continental  Congress  owed  its  origin.  New  York  hav- 
ing just  heard  from  the  express  rider  Paul  Revere  on  May  17th  that 
Boston's  port  would  be  closed  as  a  penalty  for  destroying  tea,  was 
greatly  alarmed  by  the  news,  and  urged  the  renewal  of  the  severance 
of  all  trade  relations  with  Great  Britain.  A  committee  of  the  Sons 
of  Liberty  immediately  offered  their  aid  to  Boston.  After  the  Boston 
Port  Bill  went  into  effect,  which  was  on  June  1st,  efhgies  of  four  of 
the  authors  of  the  measure  hanging  by  the  neck  were  carried  through 
the  streets  of  the  city  of  New  York  in  protest. 

On  May  23d  the  Committee  of  51  urged  upon  the  other  colonies  the 
assembling  of  an  intercolonial  congress  without  delay.  A  month  later 
the  Assembly's  committee  of  correspondence  approved  the  call.  On 
July  4Lh  the  Committee  of  51  selected  the  names  of  five  men  to 
be  submitted  to  the  freeholders  for  approval  at  the  polls.  Philip  Liv- 
ingston, John  Alsop,  Isaac  Sears,  James  Duane  and  John  Jay  were 
elected. 

Various  localities  of  the  province  now  began  to  organize  commit- 
tees. On  August  27,  1774,  the  Palatine  district  of  Tryon  county  out 
on  the  frontier,  met  at  Stone  Arabia  in  the  upper  Mohawk  valley  and 
organized  a  committee  of  safety,  which  was  the  basis  for  a  county 
committee.  Albany  had  a  committee  as  early  as  September  1774. 
No  doubt  other  sections  of  the  province  followed  these  examples. 
The  First  Continental  Congress  of  September  5,  1774,  was  regarded 
as  a  great  national  committee  to  safeguard  "the  rights  and  liberties  of 
the.  colonies."  It  asked  every  county,  district  and  town  to  organize  a 
committee  and  thus  seemed  to  give  a  legal  sanction  to  these  revolution- 
ary bodies. 

The  New  York  Provincial  Congress  on  May  26,  1775,  appointed 
a  "standing  committee  of  correspondence"  and  the  next  day  ordered 
all  the  counties  to  name  committees  for  the  counties,  towns  and  dis- 
tricts to  have  the  "general  association"  signed,  in  order  to  execute 
the  orders  of  the  Continental  Congress.  Every  citizen  was  to  be  invited 
to  sign  the  "association"  and  by  July  1775,  all  the  nonsigners  were  to 
be  reported  to  the  Provincial  Congress.  The  Schenectady  committee 
repeatedly  asked  the  people  to  sign  the  association.   Those  who  did  so 


THE    COMMITTEE    SYSTEM  35 

in  Albany  county,  and  probably  elsewbere,  were  given  certificates.  The 
nonassociators  were  boycotted.  For  example  the  Schenectady  commit- 
tee ordered  an  employer  of  carpenters  to  dismiss  those  who  were  non- 
associators and  engage  only  associators.  Cumberland  county  had  a 
committee  by  June  21,  1775.  The  Albany  committee  in  June  1775, 
was  cooperating  with  the  Provincial  Congress  in  improving  the  mili- 
tary situation  on  Lake  Champlain.  In  August  the  county  committees 
were  ordered  to  purchase  or  hire  all  arms  fit  for  service  and  turn  them 
over  to  the  recruiting  colonels.  Two  committeemen  or  more  in  each 
district  were  asked  to  help  organize  militia  companies.  General  Her- 
kimer, as  chairman  of  the  Tyron  county  committee,  asked  the  Provin- 
cial Congress  on  August  12th  what  to  do  with  the  Loyalists.  In  Sep- 
tember the  local  committees  were  authorized  to  punish  by  a  fine  or 
imprisonment  all  persons  who  aided  the  enemy.  Those  who  opposed 
the  authority  of  the  Continental  Congress  and  the  Provincial  Congress 
were  to  be  disarmed  at  first  and  if  the  offense  was  repeated  put  in  jail. 

By  1776  every  county  in  New  York,  except  possibly  Kings,  had  its 
committee  and  subcommittees  in  the  towns,  manors  and  districts.  These 
county  committees  varied  in  size,  in  method  of  election,  organization 
and  procedure.  The  committees  of  the  political  subdivisions  also 
differed  in  size,  character  and  activities.  New  York  county  alone 
seems  to  have  had  no  subcommittees.  At  the  meeting  of  the  Ulster 
county  committee  in  May  1775  it  was  recommended  that  a  day  be  set 
aside  in  the  colony  for  fasting  and  prayer.  These  county  committees 
performed  a  multitude  of  functions.  They  paid  the  bills  for  the  poor; 
offered  bounties  to  the  soldiers;  recruited  troops;  bought  supplies  such 
as  rum,  bacon,  pork,  salt,  flour  and  powder;  paid  the  troops;  repaired 
guns;  secured  wagons  and  sleds  for  transportation;  guarded  stores; 
advanced  cash  to  finance  the  war;  regulated  the  price  of  tea;  and  even 
sent  a  stove  from  Albany  to  the  Provincial  Convention  at  Fishkill. 
They  also  conducted  the  elections  of  the  delegates  to  the  Provincial 
Conventions  and  Congresses. 

The  blockade  of  the  port  of  Boston  aroused  the  indignation  of  the 
New  York  patriots.  The  committees  generously  offered  aid.  The  com- 
mittee of  Schenectady  raised  £75  for  the  "relief  of  the  poor  of  Boston" 
on  December  12,  1775,  and  the  fund  was  increased  later  to  over  £128. 
Finding  that  it  would  cost  £6— 16s  to  have  the  money  taken  to  Boston, 
the  economical  committee  waited  until  June  23,  1777,  when  it  was  for- 
warded in  flour  with  instructions  to  bring  back  a  gift  of  salt  for  it. 

The  minutes  'of  the  Albany  Common  Council  end  on  March  25, 
1776,  and  there  is  no  record  of  any  meetings  for  2  years.  Presumably 
the  revolutionary  committee  ruled  the  city  until  April  17,  1778,  when 


AT  a  Meeting   at  the  Exchange,     i6th   May, 
1774,  ISAAC  LOW,  chofen  CHAIRMAN. 

I  ft  Queftion  put,  Whether  it  is  neceffary  for  the 
prefent,  to  appoint  a  Committee  to  correfpond  with  the 
neighbouring  Colonies,  on  the  prefent  important  Crifis? 
Carried  in  the  Affirmative  by  a  great  Majority. 

2d.  Whether  a  Committee  be  nominated  this  Even- 
ing for  the  Approbation  of  the  Pubhc? — Carried  in  the 
Affirlnative  by  a  great  Majority. 

3d.  Whether  the  Committee  of  50  be  appointed,  or 
2,5? — Carried  for  50,    by  a  great  Majority. 

The  follovoing  Perfons  were  nomitiated: 
John  Alfop, 
William  Ba/ard» 
Theophylajfi  Bache> 
Peter  V.  B.  Livingfl:on> 
"Philip  Livingfton* 
Ifaac  Sears^ 
David  JohnfloTJv 
Charles  M'  Evers, 
Charles  Nicholl, 
Alexander  M'Dougall, 
Capt.  Thomas  Randall, 
Tonn  Moore? 
Jfaac  Low, 
Leonard  Lifpenard, 
Jacobus  Van  Zandt, 
James  Duane^ 
Edward  Laighr. 
Thomas  PearfaU, 
Elias  Defbrofles, 
William  Walton, 
Richard  Yates, 
John  De  Lancey, 
Miles  Sherbrook, 

John  T^Brman, 
ohn  Jay; 
John  Broome^ 


Benjamm  Booth, 
Jofeph  Hallctt, 
Charles  Shaw, 
Alexander  Wallace, 
James  Jaunccy, 
Gabriel   H.  Ludlow, 
Nicholas  Hoffman, 
Abraham  Walton, 
Gerardus  Duyckinck, 
Peter  Van  Schauck, 
Henry  Rcmfen, 
Hamilton  Young, 
George  Bowne, 
Peter  T.  Curtenius* 
Peter  Goelct, 
Abraham  Brafher, 
Abraham  P.  Lott, 
David  Van  Horjie, 
Gerardus  W.  Beekman* 
Abraham  Duryee, 
Jofeph  Bull, 
William  M'Adam, 
Richard  Sharpe, 
Thomas  Marfton, 
Francis  Lewis,   added  nim* 
con,M3iy  19th. 


Election   of  Committee   of  50(51) 


THE    COMMITTEE    SYSTEM 


37 


the  Common  Council  was  elected  and.  after  taking  an  oath  of  allegiance 
to  the  new  state,  reconvened. 

Theoretically  under  the  committee  system  the  Continental  Congress 
stood  at  the  head.  Then  came  the  Provincial  Congress  with  its  state- 
wide committees.  Next  in  the  scale  appeared  the  county  committees. 
At  the  hottom  were  the  numerous  local  boards.  The  lower  bodies 
looked  to  the  higher  ones  for  instruction,  advice  and  guidance.  In- 
deed one  finds  all  sorts  of  problems  sent  from  the  local  commit- 
tees to  the  county  boards,  and  in  turn  from  the  county  boards  to 
the  state  bodies.  Before  August  3,  1775,  local  committees,  especially 
those  of  the  counties,  followed  their  own  initiative  and  judgment,  but 
with  the  enactment  of  laws  by  the  Provincial  Congress,  the  committees 
had  a  common  guide.  One  marvels  that  there  was  not  more  confusion 
and  conflict  of  authority.  Committeemen  quite  generally,  however, 
were  imbued  with  the  ideals  of  a  common  cause. 

Special  committees  were  named  also  for  specific  purposes.  For 
instance  on  November  22,  1774,  New  York  City  elected  sixty  men  as  a 
"committee  of  observation"  to  succeed  the  Committee  of  51  chosen  to 
enforce  nonimportation.  It  suggested  the  election  of  delegates  to  the 
Second  Continental  Congress  and  advised  the  counties  to  send  deputies 
to  the  Provincial  Convention  on  April  20,  1775,  to  choose  the  dele- 
gates. It  also  urged  the  counties  to  select  representatives  to  a  Pro- 
vincial Congress  to  meet  on  May  22,  1775. 


Fort   Crailo,  Rensselaer.  Front   View 


38  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

The  committee  system  became  the  popular  method  of  having  every- 
thing done  in  carrying  on  the  war.  If  a  fort  was  to  be  built,  a  com- 
mittee was  assigned  the  task.  If  the  Indians  were  to  be  appeased  and 
induced  to  make  treaties,  a  committee  on  Indian  Affairs  was  appointed. 
Special  committees  dealt  with  the  Loyalists,  punished  them,  and  sold 
their  confiscated  estates.  Early  in  1776  local  and  county  committees 
forbade  strangers  coming  into  their  regions  without  having  a  card 
showing  that  they  were  patriots. 

The  arrival  of  an  express  rider,  Israel  Bissell,  in  New  York  City 
about  noon  on  Sunday,  April  23,  1775,  with  news  of  the  skirmish  at 
Lexington  4  days  before,  opened  the  eyes  of  the  patriots  to  the  fact 
that  civil  war  was  upon  them.  Marinus  Willett  said  that  this  informa- 
tion "produced  a  general  insurrection  of  the  populace,"  and  Golden 
wrote  that  a  "state  of  anarchy  and  confusion,"  and  of  "disorder  and 
rage"  prevailed.  The  arsenal  was  broken  open  and  about  600  muskets 
with  ammunition  were  seized  and  distributed  among  "the  most  active 
of  the  citizens"  who  formed  a  "voluntary  corps  and  assumed  the 
government  of  the  city."  They  took  possession  of  the  customs  house 
and  the  public  stores.  They  paraded  about  the  streets.  All  business 
ceased.  The  posts  were  stopped  and  the  letters  read.  Two  sloops 
laden  with  provisions  for  Boston  were  unloaded.  The  Loyalists  were 
threatened  with  the  gallows.  "The  whole  city  became  one  continued 
scene  of  riot,  tumult  and  confusion."  This  was  certainly  rebellion,  if 
not  revolution,  and  significantly  expressed  New  York's  answer  to 
Lexington. 

The  next  day  Golden  summoned  the  Gouncil  for  advice.  He  was  told 
that  the  militia  were  all  "Liberty  Boys"  and  would  not  aid  the  govern- 
ment. The  mayor  said  that  his  "authority  was  gone."  The  Gouncil 
refused  to  act.  Assurance  was  given,  however,  that  all  was  quiet  in 
Dutchess  and  Queens  counties. 

On  April  26th  the  Gommittee  of  60  in  the  metropolis  alarmed  by 
the  sudden  turn  of  affairs  and  perhaps  wishing  to  shift  responsibility 
to  a  new  and  larger  body,  unanimously  proposed  that  a  new  Gommittee 
of  100  should  be  elected  by  the  freeholders  and  freemen  and  that  at 
the  same  time  twenty  deputies  should  be  chosen  to  a  Provincial  Con- 
gress to  meet  on  May  22,  1775.  The  next  day  a  broadside  proposed 
100  names  for  the  committee,  and  the  Gommittee  of  60  asked  the  coun- 
ties to  elect  their  delegates  to  the  Provincial  Congress.  On  April  29th 
there  was  a  rush  to  sign  the  "association"  in  which  the  subscribers 
vowed  to  obey  all  orders  of  the  Continental  and  Provincial 
Congresses  "for  the  purpose  of  preserving  our  Constitution"  and 
to  resist  the  execution  of  "the  arbitrary  and  oppressive  acts   of  the 


THE    COMMITTEE    SYSTEM 


39 


British  Parliament"  until  peace  should  be  made  on  "constitutional 
principals."  The,  people  hauled  the  cannon  from  the  city  to  Kings- 
bridge  to  guard  the  river. 

On  May  1,  1775,  the  Committee  of  100  was  chosen  to  act  "in  the 
present  alarming  emergency"  and  twenty-one  delegates  were  elected  to 
the  Provincial  Congress.  On  this  new  committee  fifty-five  members  of  the 
Committee  of  60  sat  and  seven  of  the  forty-five  new  members  had  been 
on  the  Committee  of  51  while  the  remaining  thirty-eight  apparently 


Fort  Constitution  on  Constitution  Island,  in  the  Highlands 

(Courtesy  New  York  Historical  Society) 

had  had  no  committee  experience.  Both  Whigs  and  Loyalists  were 
well  represented,  the  former  predominating,  however.  It  was  this  body 
that  called  the  people  to  arms,  that  ordered  the  militia  to  patrol  the 
streets,  that  prevented  provisions  from  being  taken  out  of  the  city, 
that  assumed  the  general  direction  of  the  province  in  the  absence  of 
the  Provincial  Congress,  and  sent  a  letter  to  the  lord  mayor  and 
magistrates  of  LoTidon.  Colden  complained  that  this  committee  "as- 
sumed the  whole  power  of  government."  It  took  over  the  supervision 
of  the  mails  and  the  control  of  the  customs  house.    It  protested  against 


/  ■  ^. 


/Z^/yru^u/ 


THE     COMMITTEE    SYSTEM  41 

the  continuance  of  the  duty  on  tea,  the  "oppressive  restraints"  on 
colonial  commerce,  the  blockade  of  Boston,  "arbitrary  government," 
the  unconstitutional  admiralty  courts,  the  denial  of  trial  by  jury,  and 
the  "hostile  operations"  of  the  British  troops  in  America.  But  it  hoped 
that  "further  effusion  of  human  blood"  would  be  prevented  and  that 
the  "union,  mutual  confidence  and  peace  of  the  whole  empire"  would  . 
be  restored.  A  letter  from  New  York  on  May  4th  said:  "It  is  my 
opinion,  from  the  present  spirit  of  the  people,  that  there  is  a  determined 
resolution  to  die  with  arms  in  their  hands,  or  establish  the  liberties  of 
the  country  on  a  permanent  footing."  Franklin  was  highly  pleased  to 
find  New  Yorkers  "arming  and  preparing  for  the  worst  events."  The 
most  pronounced  Loyalists  like  Dr  Myles  Cooper,  president  of  King's 
College,  were  forced  to  flee.  Colden  was  warned  to  prevent  the  landing 
of  British  soldiers  in  New  York.  On  May  27th  he  advised  Major  Isaac 
Hamilton  to  "get  five  companies  on  board  the  'Asia'  as  soon  as 
possible"  but  to  keep  their  departure  a  secret.  The  Provincial  Con- 
gress asked  the  people  to  let  the  troops  depart  peaceably.  The  king's 
birthday  was  celebrated  on  June  4,  1775,  on  the  warship  "Asia"  but 
the  city  remained  significantly  silent. 

On  June  6,  1775,  to  avoid  a  clash  with  the  excited  people,  the 
British  troops  were  embarked  on  the  "Asia"  for  Boston.  When  Mar- 
inus  Willett  and  his  friends  learned  that  the  departing  troops  "were 
taking  with  them  sundry  carts  loaded  with  chests  filled  with  arms,"  they 
decided  to  capture  "these  spare  arms."  Willett  stopped  the  carts  and 
told  the  commanding  officer  that  the  Committee  of  100  had  not  given 
its  consent  to  remove  any  arms  except  those  the  soldiers  carried.  The 
crowd  of  citizens  turned  the  carts  out  of  the  procession.  The  soldiers 
were  harangued  to  desert  and  challenged  to  fight.  A  few  deserted  but 
the  rest  "embarked  under  the  hisses  of  the  citizens."  Col  den's  report 
gives  a  slightly  different  version,  charges  the  "violent  outrage"  to  "a 
few  desperate  f-ellows,"  and  says  that  the  deputies  of  the  Provincial 
Congress  and  the  committeemen  disapproved  of  the  act  because  it 
tended  to  discredit  their  authority.  Other  guns  and  ammunition  were 
sent  aboard  a  "sloop  of  war"  to  circumvent  their  seizure  by  the 
patriots. 

These  incidents  show  that  New  York  was  not  lagging  behind  the 
other  colonies  in  taking  measures  that  precipitated  the  Revolution. 
Colden  protested  to  Mayor  Hicks,  who  sent  the  letter  to  the  Provincial 
Congress.  That  body  on  June  10th  resolved  that  every  person  who 
had  a  gun  or  any  equipment  taken  from  the  British  troops  should 
immediately  deliver  it  to  the  mayor.  Somewhat  earlier  than  this 
occurred  the  seizure  of  a  quantity  of  royal  military  stores  at  Turtle 


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44  THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

Bay.  On  the  25th  the  people  gave  General  Washington  a  noisy  and 
joyous  welcome,  while  Governor  Tryon  who  reached  New  York  the 
same  day  received  little  notice.  On  December  15th,  the  Committee  of 
100  adopted  rules  for  the  night  watch  of  the  city  and  ordered  the 
officers  to  obey  the  Provincial  Congress.  On  February  2,  1776,  the 
Provincial  Committee  of  Safety  recommended  that  the  Committee  of 
100  be  reduced  to  a  Committee  of  50  to  enable  it  to  act  more  expedi- 
tiously. The  new  body  was  chosen  on  February  8th  for  6  months 
and  twenty-one  members  constituted  a  quorum. 

The  Continental  Congress  on  June  14,  1776,  particularly  urged  New 
York  "to  make  effectual  provision  for  detecting,  restraining  and  punish- 
ing disaffected  and  dangerous  persons  in  that  colony."  The  next  day  a 
"Committee  to  Detect  Conspiracies"  was  appointed  by  the  Provincial 
Congress.  Rumors  of  Tory  plots  were  rife,  some  of  them  involving  the 
lives  of  Putnam,  Washington  and  others.  On  June  22d  warrants  were 
issued  against  the  Tories  in  New  York  City,  and  arrests  followed, 
among  them  that  of  Mayor  Mathews. 

Meanwhile  New  York  City  was  filling  with  Continental  troops  in 
anticipation  of  an  attack.  The  British  warships  in  the  harbor  kept 
the  people  in  an  agitated  state  of  mind.  The  inhabitants  were  con- 
tinually moving  away.  The  public  records  were  taken  to  a  place  of 
safety.  Many  houses,  empty  because  of  the  flight  of  the  people  from 
the  city,  were  used  for  barracks,  and  business  was  greatly  disorganized. 
The  city  was  put  in  a  state  of  defense.  The  city  committee  was  ordered 
by  the  Provincial  Committee  of  Safety  on  April  4,  1776,  to  prepare 
barracks  and  stables  for  12,000  soldiers.  Among  the  buildings  seized 
for  troops  was  King's  College. 

With  the  creation  of  a  regular  constitutional  government  after  1777, 
the  responsibilities  of  the  committees  decreased.  Indeed  the  Legislature 
of  the  State  was  disposed  to  take  the  ground  that  the  new  government 
provided  for  by  the  Constitution  of  1777  superseded  the  temporary 
committee  system.  The  Council  of  Revision  on  February  20,  1777, 
asserted  that  the  State  Constitution  recognized  no  committees,  and  that 
hence  they  had  ceased.  But  so  valuable  had  they  proved  to  be  as  agen- 
cies of  government  that  they  were  continued  throughout  most  of  the 
war.  The  Schenectady  committee  was  operating  in  1779.  Their  impor- 
tance as  a  piece  of  revolutionary  machinery  can  not  be  overestimated. 
They  created  public  opinion  and  served  as  a  channel  through  which  it 
might  flow;  they  carried  on  the  propaganda  that  produced  the  war; 
they  were  the  germ  of  republican  government.  Five  kinds  of  com- 
mittees came  into  existence:  (1)  those  for  a  special  emergency;  (2) 
local  committees;    (3)   committees  of  correspondence;    (4)   state  com- 


46  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW   YORK 

mittees  to  carry  on  the  work  of  government  or  some  phase  of  it;  and 
(5)  the  committees  of  the  Legislature  which  were  assigned  some  parti- 
cular task  and  acted  under  law  with  a  greater  degree  of  caution. 

The  Continental  Congress  appreciated  the  usefulness  of  the  com- 
mittee system  and  sought  to  employ  it  to  enforce  the  "association" 
and  to  accomplish  other  important  matters.  Since  this  system  was  in 
successful  operation  in  the  various  colonies,  it  was  felt  that  these 
agencies  could  best  carry  out  the  recommendations  of  the  continental 
body.  Congress  also  had  its  own  special  boards  such  as  the  Committee 
of  Correspondence. 

All  the  early  committees  reiterated  and  stressed  their  loyalty  to  the 
established  imperial  government.  Later  their  loyalty  was  limited  to 
the  king  alone.  Finally  it  was  restricted  to  their  own  revolutionary 
program.  In  fact  from  the  outset  the  committee  was  an  agent  of  revolu- 
tion. As  a  rule  a  new  group  of  men  appeared  in  these  committees  — 
more  democratic  men  who  had  not  served  on  the  provincial  Council  or 
in  the  Assembly  but  came  directly  from  the  people.  Special  pains 
v/ere  taken,  likewise,  to  change  the  committees  frequently  by  new 
elections.  In  this  way  the  committees  represented  the  growth  in  pub- 
lic opinion,  reflected  the  people's  will  more  directly,  and  accustomed  a 
large  number  of  persons  to  political  responsibility.  These  committees 
were  the  most  powerful  democratizing  agencies  in  the  Revolution. 


Ill 

THE  PROVINCIAL  CONGRESS 

By  ]May  1775  civil  war  between  the  American  colonies  and  the 
British  government  had  begun.  Lexington,  Concord,  Ticonderoga  and 
Crown  Point  told  the  story  of  an  appeal  to  arms.  Town,  county,  city 
and  state  committees,  as  representatives  of  the  people,  assumed  the 
functions  of  government,  took  the  initiative  in  opposing  the  objection- 
able acts  of  the  British  parliament,  and  gradually,  perhaps  more  or 
less  unconsciously,  prepared  the  people  for  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Answering  the  suggestion  of  the  New  York  City  Committee  of  51  for  a 
Continental  Congress,  in  seven  colonies  out  of  twelve,  local  committees 
chose  delegates  to  the  body  that  met  in  Philadelphia  on  September  5, 

1774.  The  New  York  delegates  were  John  Alsop,  Simon  Boerum, 
James  Duane,  William  Floyd.  John  Haring,  John  Jay,  Philip  Living- 
ston, Isaac  Low  and  Henry  Wisner.  The  sole  purpose  of  that 
first  national  Congress  was  to  uphold  the  American  interpretation  of 
the  political  relations  of  the  various  local  governments  to  the  imperial 
government. 

The  Assembly  of  New  York  held  its  last  session  on  April  3,  1775. 
Controlled  by  the  conservative  Loyalists  on  February  17th,  it  had 
refused  by  a  large  vote  both  to  approve  the  proceedings  of  the  First 
Continental  Congress  and  to  appoint  delegates  to  the  second.  It  also 
voted  against  extending  thanks  to  the  merchants  of  New  York  City  for 
their  activities  in  protecting  the  rights  of  the  people.  An  active  and 
outspoken  "virtuous  minority"  in  the  Assembly  received  the  thanks  of 
the  freeholders  of  Westchester  county  for  their  attachment  to  the 
'"rights  and  liberties  of  America."  The  Council  of  New  York  func- 
tioned very  feebly  after  the  adjournment  of  the  Assembly  on  April  3, 

1775,  but  it  did  meet  intermittently  in  executive  session  on  board  the 
"Dutchess  of  Gordon"  in  the  harbor  and  in  New  York  City  until 
May  26,  1783,  when  its  last  session  seems  to  have  been  held. 

Feeling  that  the  emergency  demanded  the  creation  of  a  provincial 
legislature  to  carry  out  the  will  of  the  people  in  the  struggle  for  their 
rights,  the  Committee  of  60  of  New  York  City  advised  the  counties  on 
March  1,  1775,  to. send  deputies  to  a  Provincial  Convention  for  the 
election  of  delegates  to  the  Second  Continental  Congress.  As  a  result 
of  this  suggestion,  "upwards  of  100  members"  from  all  parts'  of  the 
province  except  Tryon,  Gloucester,  Cumberland  and  some  districts  in 
Queens  counties  attended  the  first  revolutionary  body  acting  for  the 

[47] 


^^^ 


THE    PROVINCIAL    CONGRESS  49 

colony  by  direction  of  the  people.  This  Provincial  Convention  met 
April  20,  1775,  at  the  Exchange  in  New  York  City.  Philip  Livingston 
was  chosen  president  and  John  McKesson,  secretary.  The  credentials 
of  the  deputies  were  carefully  inspected.  On  the  second  day  twelve 
delegates  were  appointed  to  go  to  Philadelphia  and  five  of  them  were 
authorized  to  act  as  a  quorum  for  "the  preservation  and  reestablish- 
ment  of  American  rights  .  .  .  and  for  the  restoration  of  harmony 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  Colonies."  The  minutes  were  signed 
by  forty-one  members.  Having  no  other  authority  from  the  people, 
the  Convention  on  April  22d  adjourned.  A  Loyalist  in  a  letter  said 
that  the  buzzing  "'harmless  insects"  at  last  were  making  "a  feeble 
essay  to  sting  as  well  as  make  a  noise."  News  of  Lexington  arrived 
the  day  after  the  Convention  dissolved. 

The  Second  Continental  Congress,  which  met  May  10,  1775,  pro- 
ceeded to  organize  an  army  and  made  George  Washington  its  head. 
In  that  body  New  York  added  five  new  delegates  —  Philip  Schuyler, 
George  Clinton,  Lewis  Morris,  Robert  R.  Livingston  and  Francis  Lewis, 
—  to  those  who  served  in  the  First  Continental  Congress.  Troops  were 
ordered  to  New  York  and  the  people  of  that  colony  were  recommended 
to  seize  the  crown  officers. 

A  more  permanent  revolutionary  body  with  power  to  assume  all  the 
functions  of  the  government  of  the  colony,  to  direct  war  operations, 
and  to  carry  out  the  recommendations  of  the  Continental  Congress  had 
also  been  proposed  by  the  Committee  of  60  of  New  York  City  in  a  let- 
ter of  April  28,  1775,  to  the  county  committees.  "Our  common  safety" 
was  the  justification  for  such  a  call.  "The  necessity  of  a  perpetual 
union"  being  apparent  to  all,  the  people  were  urged  to  choose  a  "con- 
siderable" number  of  representatives  to  ask  for  "the  united  sense"  of 
the  province  "in  the  present  melancholy  state  of  this  continent."  The 
next  day  the  Committee  formulated  a  "general  association"  in  the  name 
of  the  people  of  New  York  City  to  execute  the  recommendations  of  the 
Continental  Congress  and  those  to  be  made  by  the  Provincial  Congress 
in  order  to  save  "the  rights  and  liberties  of  America"  and  to  preserve 
"our  Constitution."  On  May  1st  it  was  reported  that  twenty-one  rep- 
resentatives had  been'  chosen  by  the  people  of  New  York  City  for  the 
Provincial  Congress,  and  other  sections  soon  followed  this  example. 

The  Provincial  Congress  met  in  New  York  City,  May  22,  1775,  and, 
a  majority  having  arrived  by  the  next  day,  the  Congress  organized  by 
electing  Peter  Van  ,Brugh  Livingston  president  and  Volkert  P.  Douw 
vix3e  president,  also  choosing  two  secretaries  and  a  doorkeeper.  Rules 
of  procedure  were  adopted.  The  first  motion  passed  was  that  "implicit 
obedience  ought  to  be  paid  to  every  recommendation  of  the  Continental 


THE    PROVINCIAL    CONGRESS  51 

Congress"  reserving  "'the  internal  police  of  this  Colony"  for  the  deter- 
mination of  the  Provincial  Congress.  The  next  question  taken  up  was 
the  important  one  of  finance,  on  May  24th.  The  Provincial  Congress 
ordered  that  it  be  announced  in  newspapers  that  the  Provincial  Con- 
gress would  devise  means  to  pay  all  bills  incurred  for  the  public 
cause.'  On  May  26th  it  was  voted  to  have  all  members  of  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress  sign  the  general  association  and  3  days  later  every 
inhabitant  of  the  colony  was  asked  to  sign  it.  The  people  of  the 
colony  were  recommended  to  arm  themselves  and  to  drill  in  military 
companies.     That  was  war. 

Although  the  Provincial  Congress  was  an  extra-legal  body  yet  it 
assumed  the  whole  government  of  the  colony,  legislative  and  adminis- 
trative, and  sought  to  have  the  war  carried  on  in  an  orderly  manner. 
On  June  3,  1775,  it  asked  all  the  people  to  respect  the  recommenda- 
tions of  the  congresses  and  in  cases  of  doubt  to  ask  for  explanation. 
Tumults,  riots  and  mobs  for  any  reason  or  purpose  were  discouraged 
as  a  ''high  infraction  of  the  general  association"  and  as  a  reflection  on 
the  credit  of  the  Congress.  It  discouraged  unauthorized  attacks  on 
the  British  troops  and  the  capture  of  crown  stores.  Those  who  were 
planning  to  take  royal  supplies  at  Turtle  Bay  were  ordered  to  disperse. 
British  ships  were  allowed  to  take  on  necessary  food  supplies.  When 
a  boat  of  the  "Asia"  was  burned,  the  perpetrators  were  ordered  to  be 
punished  and  approval  was  given  to  build  a  new  boat. 

The  people  of  Tryon  county  were  urged  on  June  3d  to  send  rep- 
resentatives to  the  Congress,  and  Guy  Johnson  was  warned  not  to 
oppose  the  recommendations  of  the  Continental  and  Provincial  Con- 
gresses. The  people  of  the  metropolis  were  requested  not  to  prevent 
the  embarkation  of  the  British  troops.  The  early  sessions  were  taken 
up  with  innumerable  military  preparations  —  raising  troops,  provid- 
ing ammunition  and  guns,  army  supplies,  food,  and  erecting  fortifica- 
tions. Connections  with  the  Canadians  were  kept  open.  Many  com- 
mittees were  appointed  to  particular  tasks.  Passes  and  passports  were 
issued.  The  Loyalists  were  suppressed,  and  their  efforts  to  aid  the 
British  were  thwarted.  An  attempt  was  made  to  prevent  the  spread  of 
smallpox  by  controlling  inoculation.  Pains  were  taken  to  hold  the 
.good  will  of  the  Indians.  Home  industries  were  encouraged  and  wool 
was  protected  by  an  order  against  killing  lambs.  The  election  of 
delegates  to  the  Second  Continental  Congress  by  the  Provincial  Con- 
vention was  approved. 

Meanwhile  the  w^ar  presented  the  Provincial  Congress  with  some 
difl&cult  problems.  New  York  went  on  record  as  ready  to  "assist  in  the 
general  defense  of  the  empire"  and  as  willing  to  permit  a  Continental 


Juliii    Jay 
Painting  by  Joseph  Wright,  1786 

(Courtesy  New  York  Historical   Society) 


THE    PROVINCIAL    CONGRESS  53 

Congress  and  a  representative  of  the  crown  to  determine  the  colonial 
share  of  the  burden.  Absolute  independence  in  religious  matters  was 
voted.  A  committee  on  a  "plan  of  accommodation"  with  England  re- 
ported on  June  27,  1775.  that  while  "Britain  ought  to  regulate  the 
trade  of  the  whole  Empire,"  the  powers  of  taxation  ought  to  be  con- 
fined to  each  colony.  Hence  the  objectionable  statutes  of  parliament 
should  be  repealed.  Moneys  raised  as  duties  on  trade  ought  to  remain 
in  the  treasury  of  each  colony  and  be  subject  to  disposal  by  the  As- 
sembly, whose  term  should  not  exceed  3  years.  The  export  of  bread, 
flour,  beef  and  pork  was  forbidden.  Lock  and  gunsmiths  were  to  be 
brought  from  Great  Britain  by  order  of  the  Provincial  Congress.  On 
July  5,  1775,  it  was  voted  not  to  permit  any  civic  body  to  send  an 
address  to  Governor  Tryon.  The  New  York  City  Common  Council 
explained  the  situation  to  Governor  Tryon  and  he  asked  permission 
of  the  home  government  to  return  to  England. 

When  the  Provincial  Congress  adjourned  on  July  8,  1775,  a  Com- 
mittee of  Safety,  representing  eaeh  section  of  the  province,  was  ap- 
pointed to  act  ad  interim.  Its  task  was  chiefly  to  keep  the  military 
machine  working  and  to  suppress  the  "inimical."  This  committee  sat 
until  July  25th. 

The  Provincial  Congress  reconvened  July  26,  1775,  and  sat  until 
September  2d.  The  acts  of  the  Committee  of  Safety,  which  served  dur- 
ing the  brief  recess,  were  approved.  Ebenezer  Hazard  was  recom- 
mended to  the  Continental  Congress  for  appointment  as  postmaster  in 
New  York  City.  The  local  committees  were  given  more  specific  instruc- 
tions about  the  treatment  of  Loyalists  and  an  effort  was  made  to  pro- 
tect both  their  persons  and  property  from  injury.  As  a  rule,  at  this 
period  of  the  Revolution,  the  Loyalists  in  New  York  were  asked  merely 
to  promise  on  honor  to  abstain  from  injuring  the  patriot  cause.  When 
General  Washington  reported  that  a  ship  taking  on  provisions  at  New 
York,  ostensibly  for  the  West  Indies,  delivered  them  to  the  British 
troops  at  Boston,  the  Provincial  Congress  ordered  an  investigation  and 
forbade  the  exportation  of  poultry  and  all  livestock  except  horses. 
Wheat,  flour  and  lumber  might  on  request  be  exported  provided  the 
ship's  officers  took  an  oath  that  the  articles  would  be  carried  to  the 
destination  named.  To  prevent  secrets  reaching  the  enemy,  members 
were  required  on  August  23d  to  take  an  oath  not  to  divulge  the  pro- 
ceedings. By  August  26th  business  was  so  heavy  that  the  Provincial 
Congress  voted  to  pieet  daily  except  Sundays. 

When  the  Provincial  Congress  ordered  cannon  at  Fort  George  to  be 
removed,  the  British  warship  "Asia"  on  August  23d  opened  fire  on 
the  American  troops.     The  militiamen  returned  the  fire.     A  British 


54  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

soldier  was  killed,  several  were  wounded,  and  a  few  buildings  in  the 
city  were  injured.  Quiet  was  soon  restored,  and  British  ships  were 
permitted  to  purchase  necessities.  On  the  last  day  of  the  session  of  the 
Provincial  Congress,  September  2d,  Augustus  van  Cortlandt,  city  and 
county  clerk,  was  asked  to  locate  a  safe  place  to  which  the  public  records 
might  be  removed.  After  naming  a  new  Committee  of  Safety  the 
Provincial  Congress  adjourned  to  October  2,  1775,  Van  Cortlandt 
reported  that  he  had  already  put  the  records  in  chests  in  a  vault  in 
his  garden  and  that  in  case  of  an  attack  on  the  city  he  would  remove 
them  to  Yonkers.     This  was  satisfactory  to  the  Committee  of  Safety. 

The  problem  of  handling  pacifists  like  the  Quakers  came  up  for 
adjustment  early  in  the  war  and  was  managed  in  a  sensible  manner. 
On  September  7th  those  in  the  county  of  New  York  were  requested 
to  hand  in  a  list  of  all  males  between  16  and  60  years  of  age.  Governor 
Tryon  announced  through  Mayor  Hicks  that  any  further  arming  or 
fortifying  or  seizure  of  crown  stores  would  be  the  occasion  for  declar 
ing  the  community  in  a  state  of  rebellion.  The  Committee  of  Safety 
paid  no  attention  to  this  warning,  but  went  right  on  with  military 
preparations.  Feeling  unsafe  on  land.  Governor  Tryon  went  on  board 
a  ship  in  the  harbor  on  October  13th.  The  Provincial  Congress,  be- 
lieving that  "for  the  sake  of  liberty"  the  representatives  of  the  people 
should  serve  for  short  terms,  resolved  that  it  should  be  dissolved  on 
November  14th  and  be  replaced  by  a  new  body.  On  November  3d 
the  committee  of  New  York  City  nominated  twenty-one  representatives 
and  at  a  general  election  four  days  later  all  but  three  were  elected. 

A  good  illustration  of  how  upstate  committee  elections  were  held 
is  shown  in  the  Minutes  of  Schenectady  and  Albany  county.  On 
November  1,  1775,  the  Schenectady  committee  ordered  an  election  of 
twelve  representatives  to  the  Provincial  Congress  and  ten  new  com- 
mitteemen, and  they  were  chosen  within  a  week.  Governor  Tryon, 
who  had  some  idea  of  having  a  new  Assembly  chosen,  authorized  the 
Loyalist  sheriff  of  Tryon  county  to  hold  an  election  in  January  1776 
but  without  result. 

On  November  23,  1775,  occurred  an  incident  that  created  an  uproar 
in  New  York  City.  The  Connecticut  patriots  raided  Rivington's  print- 
ing press  and  carried  off  the  type.  The  city  committee  denounced 
the  act  as  a  breach  of  the  "association."  Isaac  Sears  and  others  were 
summoned  for  abetting  the  invasion.  John  Jay  disapproved  of  the 
raid  and  advised  the  second  Provincial  Congress  to  save  its  reputa- 
tion by  taking  a  firm  but  prudent  course.  Of  course  the  Gazette  had 
to  suspend  publication,  but  it  was  resumed  under  the  British  in  1777- 


Henrv  Knox 


56  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

The  Provincial  Congress  on  December  12th  sent  a  letter  of  protest 
to  the  governor  of  Connecticut  and  reported  the  invasion  to  the  Con- 
tinental Congress.  Not  until  June  10,  1776,  did  Governor  Trumbull 
reply,  and  then  he  said  the  raid  had  been  planned  by  Isaac  Sears  of 
New  York.     Rivington  went  to  England  and  the  matter  was  dropped. 

On  December  6,  1775,  Governor  Tryon  took  on  board  the  "Duchess 
of  Gordon"  twenty-five  folio  volumes  of  records  of  the  colony  of  New 
York.  The  Provincial  Congress,  in  reply  to  Tryon's  address  appealing 
for  peace,  declared  on  December  14th  that  the  revolt  was  not  due  to  "a 
desire  to  become  independent  of  the  British  crown"  nor  to  a  want  of  at- 
tachment to  George  III,  but  solely  to  the  "oppressive  acts  of  the  British 
parliament."  Intercourse  with  the  royal  ships  was  forbidden  and  per- 
sons from  other  colonies  were  required  to  carry  certificates  of  identifi- 
cation. The  king  was  convinced  that  the  colonists  wjere  determined  to 
establish  "an  American  empire."  The  publication  of  Paine's  "Common 
Sense"  on  January  9,  1776,  and  its  enthusiastic  reception  seemed  to  show 
that  George  III  had  guessed  right.  The  frantic  efforts  of  New  York  to 
obstruct  the  Hudson  and  to  fortify  the  city  of  New  York  pointed  in  that 
direction.  The  order  of  the  Continental  Congress  to  disarm  all  persons 
"notoriously  disaffected"  was  executed  in  New  York  City  during 
the  spring  of  1776.  Soon  the  metropolis  was  an  armed  camp  and 
interest  shifted  from  the  legislative  hall  to  the  battlefield.  The 
civilians  were  in  a  state  of  confusion..  Prices  were  soaring.  Washing- 
ton, arrived  on  April  13,  1776,  to  take  comrnand. 

The  Provincial  Congress  on  May  31,  1776,  seemed  to  feel  that  it 
had  come  into  existence  merely  to  oppose  the  "usurpation  of  the 
British  parliament"  and  that  it  would  cease  to  act  when  a  "reconcilia- 
tion" resulted.  It  doubted  whether  the  people  had  given  it  power  to 
create  a  government  independent  of  the  old  one.  Therefore,  it  recom- 
mended the  electors  either  to  return  their  representatives  or  to  select 
new  ones  with  authority  to  create  a  "new  government"  to  secure  the 
"rights,  liberties  and  happiness  of  the  good  people  of  this  colony." 
The  committee  of  each  county  was  to  determine  the  time  and  place  of 
election.  On  June  11th  the  New  York  delegates  at  Philadelphia  were 
informed  that  they  were  not  authorized  to  commit  New  York  to  inde- 
pendence. On  June  30,  1776,  the  Provincial  Congress  adjourned  to 
meet  at  White  Plains  on  July  2d  and  ordered  that  the  newly  elected 
body  should  meet  at  the  same  place  on  July  8th. 

This  was  the  end  of  that  revolutionary  body  which  tided  over  the 
government  of  New  York  during  its  transition  from  a  colony  to  a 
state.    The  Provincial  Congress  usurped  the  functions  of  the  Assembly 


Egbert   Benson 
Painted  from  life  in  1807  by  Gilbert  Stuart 

{Courtesy  New  York  Historical  Society) 


58 


THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 


but  it  refused  to  create  a  state  government  as  recommended  by  the 
Second  Continental  Congress.  Perhaps  it  was  a  wise  move  to  refer 
that  grave  step  to  the  people.  The  Provincial  Congress  twice  au- 
thorized by  the  citizens  to  act  for  them  followed  a  sensible  course 
and  deserves  more  praise  than  has  been  accorded  to  it.  Among  its 
members  were  men  of  much  ability  whose  names  were  conspicuous  in 
state  and  national  annals  in  the  trying  decades  ahead — the  Clintons, 
Livingstons,  Yateses,  Van  Cortlandts,  Morrises,  Jay,  Duane,  Schuyler, 
Willett,  Scott,  McDougall  and  Hobart.  Hamilton  and  Burr  were  not 
members. 


Thomas   Paine 


IV 

NEW  YORK'S  DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE 

At  no  time  in  the  colonial  history  of  New  York  before  the  closb 
of  the  year  1775  was  total  independence  generally  desired.  The 
charge  that  the  colony  wished  political  separation  from  the  motherland 
was  resented  and  denied  publicly  and  privately  on  all  occasions  and 
by  all  classes  and  parties.  Nevertheless,  paralleling  these  protesta- 
tions of  loyalty,  there  was  a  positive,  though  more  or  less  unconscious, 
movement  in  favor  of  virtual  if  not  actual  independence.  The  con- 
ditions under  which  a  new  state  might  be  formed  were  rapidly  matur- 
ing. Race,  geography,  environment,  history,  industry  and  institutional 
life  were  forces  at  work  to  give  birth  to  a  new  national  state  sooner 
or  later.  That  the  movement  culminated  in  1776  was  largely  an  acci- 
dent; for  it  might  have  been  postponed  a  generation  or  even  a  century. 

The  Revolution  was  the  inevitable  result  of  certain  forces  already 
discussed.^  At  the  outset  there  was  no  intent  to  overthrow  the  estab- 
lished social  order,  nor  to  subvert  the  government  of  the  British 
Empire.  Whigs  and  Loyalists  alike  wanted  self-government,  self- 
taxation  and  direct  representation  within  the  empire,  and  professed 
to  stand  for  their  old  and  recognized  rights  as  men  and  as  Englishmen 
under  the  British  constitution,  which  they  believed  a  blind  parliament 
and  an  obstinate  ministry  were  violating.  When  the  dispute  was  car- 
ried from  the  legislative  hall  and  the  committee  room  to  the  battle- 
field, the  sentiment  for  a  Declaration  of  Independence  in  the  winter 
of  1775-76  began  to  gain  momentum.  The  Loyalists,  however,  brande^d 
it  as  revolutionary,  treasonable,  a  betrayal  of  previous  protests  and 
the  worst  possible  blunder.  The  General  Assembly  of  New  York  up  to 
its  last  session  on  April  3,  1775,  remained  loyal  and  asserted  again 
and  again  with  increasing  emphasis  that  a  total  disruption  of  political 
ties  was  not  sought.  As  late  as  October  22,  1775,  the  king  was 
publicly  prayed  for  in  the  Continental  Army. 

It  is  equally  true  that  all  declarations  of  the  Revolutionary  bodies — 
the  committees  of  safety  and  Provincial  Congresses — made  up  largely 
of  Whigs,  until  the  forepart  of  1776  favored  reconciliation  and 
opposed  a  dissolution  of  the  empire.  On  January  9,  1776,  the 
Committee  of  Safety,  acting  during  the  recess  of  the  Provincial  Con- 
gress, in  an  open  letter  to  the  "inhabitants  of  the  colony,"  reiterated 


^  See  pages  9-25. 

3  [59] 


Thomas  Jefferson 


NEW  York's  declaration  of  independence  61 

the  desire  for  an  "accommodation"  with  Great  Britain.  The  Provincial 
Congress  on  January  l2,  1776.  wrote  to  the  merchants  of  Quebec: 
"We  should  be  extremely  sorry  should  any  misrepresentations  of  the 
enemies  of  America  impress  our  brethren  in  Canada  with  an  opinion 
that  the  Confederated  Colonies  on  the  continent  aim  at  independence." 
This  attitude  in  New  York  is  not  surprising  when  one  remembers 
that  Samuel  Adams  reported  on  January  15,  1776,  that  a  motion  to 
appoint  a  committee  in  the  Continental  Congress  to  answer  the  charge 
that  Congress  was  aiming  at  independence  was  defeated  with  great 
difficulty.  On  February  13,  1776,  in  an  address  to  the  people,  that 
same  body  said:  "We  are  accused  of  carrying  on  the  war  for  the 
purpose  of  establishing  an  independent  Empire.  We  disavow  the 
Intention.  We  declare  that  what  we  aim  at  and  what  we  are  entrusted 
"by  you  to  pursue  is  the  Defense  and  Re-establishment  of  the  Con- 
stitutional Rights  of  the  Colonies." 

Indeed,  even  after  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  issued,  many 
persons  regarded  it  as  merely  a  coercive  measure  to  obtain  a  victory 
for  the  program  of  self-government  within  the  empire  rather  than  an 
irretrievable  withdrawal  from  it.  The  staunchest  supporters  of  com- 
plete separation  were  slow  in  coming  to  that  decision.  The  Whig 
movement  in  New  York,  like  that  of  the  Loyalist,  was  one  long  denial 
of  the  intent  or  wish  for  independence.  Repeatedly  and  vehemently 
the  Whigs  solemnly  affirmed  that  they  were  fighting  only  a  wicked 
and  unconstitutional  ministerial  program  to  obtain  their  constitutional 
rights,  and  that  it  was  calumny  to  charge  them  with  a  plan  to  set  up  a 
new  state. 

John  Jay  wrote  a  pamphlet  on  "Congress  and  Independence,"  in 
which  he  took  great  pains  to  prove  that  Congress  was  not  aiming 
at  separation  and  to  show  that  expressions  of  reconciliation  were 
written  all  over  its  records.  In  1821  he  wrote:  "Until  the  second- 
petition  of  Congress  in  1775,  I  never  did  hear  an  American  of  any 
class,  of  any  description,  express  a  wish  for  the  independence  of  the 
colonies.  It  has  always  been  and  still  is,  in  my  opinion  and  belief, 
that  our  country  was  prompted  and  impelled  to  independence  by  neces- 
sity and  not  by  choice."  "The  Continental  Congress,"  wrote  a  New 
York  Whig  on  April  6,  1776,  "have  never  lisped  the  least  desire 
for  independence  or  republicanism;  all  their  publications  breathe 
another  spirit,  and  in  their  justice,  wisdom  and  virtue  I  can  freely 
confide  for  a  restoration  of  peace  and  tranquillity  upon  just  and 
honorable  conditions."  "I  do  not  learn  that  a  word  has  been  said 
in  our  Convention  upon  the  subject  of  a  Declaration  of  Independence," 
wrote  another  man  from  New  York  City,  May  31,  1776,  "but  a  new 


<fik 


Philip  Livingston 


William  Floyd 


^ti 


SJ^ 


■^'^      ; 


Francis  Lewis 


Lewis   Morris 


New  York  State  Signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence 

Philip  Livingston,  from  engraving  in  State  Library;  William  Floyd,  Francis  Lewis 

and   Lewis    Morris,   from   Brotherhead's   edition   of   Sanderson's 

Biography  of  the  Signers 


NEW    YORK  S    DECLARATION    OF    INDEPENDENCE 


63 


mode  of  Government  has  been  talked  of."  Yet  on  July  10,  1775,  a 
Londoner  wrote  to  a  friend  in  New  York,  "The  present  struggle  be- 
tween this  country  and  North  America,  I  have  heard  old  people  50 
years  ago  predict." 

In  New  York  during  the  spring  and  early  summer  of  1776,  two 
sets  of  influence  were  converging  toward  independence: 

1  The  ardent  Sons  of  Liberty,  from  the  Stamp  Act  troubles  onward, 
advocated  separation  from  Great  Britain.  As  late  as  1774  they  stood 
alone  in  this  attitude  in  the  colony  of  New  York.  Their  influence 
touched  the  laborers  and  the  skilled  Avorkmen  who  had  all  to  gain 
and  nothing  to  lose  by  such  a  change.  Their  prominent  leaders  were 
Alexander  McDougall,  Isaac  Sears,  John  Morin  Scott  and  John  Lamb. 


This  small  but  active  minority  gained  many  recruits  after  the  out- 
break of  hostilities  in  1775  began  to  influence  some  men's  minds.  They 
were  powerfully  aided  by  men  like  Samuel  Adams  and  Patrick  Henry 
in  other  colonies.  On  May  27,  1776,  the  Provincial  Congress  vir- 
tually declared  its  independence  by  resolving  that  the  colonial  govern- 
ment, was  dissolved  and  that  the  people  had  the  right  to  form  a  new 
state  government. 

On  June  4,  1776,  Lewis  Thibou,  representing  a  "committee  of 
mechanics"  presented  an  "address"  to  the  Provincial  Congress.  The 
paper  stated  that  "if  this  Congress  should  think  proper  to  instruct 
their  delegates  in  Continental  Congress  to  use  their  utmost  endeavors 
in  that  august  assembly  to  cause  these  united  colonies  to  become  in- 


lucliaid   Lurd   Howe 


NEW  York's  declaration  of  independence  65 

dependent  of  Great  Britain,  it  would  give  them  tlie  highest  satisfaction." 
Jedidiah  Hunting-ton  on  June  6,  1776,  from  New  York  City  wrote 
Governor  Trumbull:  "The  mechanicks  of  the  city  have  voted  inde- 
pendence; it  is  expected  the  new  Congress  will  follow  suit." 

The  Provincial  Congress  replied  that  the  Continental  Congress  alone 
had  power  to  act  "for  the  general  welfare"  and  refused  to  send  any 
"instructions"  until  Congress  had  acted.  They  would  abide  by  "what- 
ever a  majority  of  that  august  body  shall  think  needful."  This  rather 
ambiguous  answer  called  forth  a  long  letter  from  "The  Mechanics 
in  Union"  of  New  York  City  and  county  on  June  14th,  in  which  they 
still  insisted  upon  instructions  being  given  to  the  New  York  delegates 
at  Philadelphia  to  vote  for  "a  new  form  of  government"  but  asserted 
that  the  people  had  a  divine  right  to  approve  it.  How  widely  the  idea 
of  a  new  state  had  spread  among  the  common  people  is  indicated 
fairly  well  by  this  incident. 

2  Not  a  few  of  the  prominent  New  York  Whigs  by  1776  had  come 
to  the  conviction  that  an  act  of  separation  under  the  circumstances, 
was  desirable  and  began  to  preach  it  on  all  sides.  Their  motives  varied 
from  the  purest  patriotism  to  selfishness.  Chief  among  those  who 
urged  the  wisdom  of  separation  either  before  or  immediately  after 
July  4,  1776,  were  John  Jay,  Gouverneur  Morris,  Robert  R.  Livingston, 
Philip  Schuyler,  Nathaniel  Woodhull,  Alexander  Hamilton,  George 
Clinton  and  James  Duane.  Well  organized  in  the  Provincial  Congress, 
in  control  of  the  civil  and  military  resources  of  the  colony,  with  the 
great  number  of  the  Loyalists  silent  and  inactive,  these  Whigs  gradu- 
ally led  New  York  into  the  ranks  of  the  independents. 

The  appearance  of  Paine's  "Common  Sense"  in  January  1776  power- 
fully aided  the  agitation  for  independence.  It  professed  to  appeal 
to  reason,  truth,  fair  play  and  man's  rights;  it  rang  the  changes  on 
liberty,  freedom,  property,  natural  rights  and  taxation  without  repre- 
sentation; it  denounced  tyranny,  kings,  monarchy,  arbitrary  laws  and 
a  despotic  parliament.  It  was  the  earliest  clear-cut,  out  and  out  plea 
for  American  independence.  It  fitted  the  hour,  the  place  and  the  souls 
of  the  people.  To  thousands  it  was  a  stirring  gospel  which  helped 
to  change  the  history  of  the  world.  Washington  observed  that  "it 
made  Tories  Whigs,  and  washed  blackgamons  white."  On  March  22, 
1776,  a  New  York  man  wrote  "A  pamphlet  called  Common  Sense  has 
carried  off  its  thousands."  When  a  reply  to  it  appeared,  it  was  seized 
in  the  printers'  shop  and  burned  in  the  street  as  unfit  to  be  read  at  that 
time.  "There  is  great  talk  of  independence  and  the  unthinking  multi- 
tude are  mad  for  it,"  wrote  a  British  sympathizer.  Another  New  York 
correspondent  observed  on  April  12,  1776,  that  "A  pamphlet  entitled 


[^7 7 :, :...- 


i«««KS»«»s.««i,»i»«»»<««,*s=»w,.  'ffi.'fmmnm^'i^iii^nxsy 


Tablet    to    Margaret    Corbin    on    grounds    at    West    Point 

Academy 
(Courtesy   D.    A.   R.    Magaslne) 


NEW  York's  declaration  ok  independence  67 

Common  Sense  has  converted  thousands  to  independents,  that  could  not 
endure  the  idea  before."  Appearing  at  a  time  when  public  opinion 
was  ripe  for  it,  this  pamphlet  precipitated  an  intense  popular  discus- 
sion which,  together  with  other  factors,  led  a  majority  of  the  American 
people  to  move  quickly  along  the  hopeful  but  uncertain  path  of 
separation. 

In  the  early  summer  of  1776  some  of  the  colonies  began  to  instruct 
their  delegates  in  the  Continental  Congress  to  vote  for  independence. 
Such  a  resolution  passed  by  the  Virginia  convention  on  May  15,  1776, 
was  sent  to  the  New  York  Provincial  Congress  with  the  hope  expressed 
that  it  would  elicit  favorable  action  there.  Although  four  colonies 
had  by  that  time  come  out  openly  for  separation,  New  York  merely 
thanked  Virginia  for  the  courtesy  and  promised  that  the  suggestion 
would  be  duly  considered. 

The  New  York  Provincial  Congress  was  informed  on  June  8,  1776, 
by  its  representatives  at  Philadelphia  that  "Some  of  us  consider  our- 
selves as  bound  by  our  instructions  not  to  vote  on  the  question  of 
independence"  which  "will  very  shortly  be  agitated  in  Congress,"  and 
begged  for  advice.  The  day  before  that  letter  was  written,  namely  on 
June  7,  1776,  a  resolution  "that  these  United  Colonies  are  and  of 
right  ought  to  be  free  and  independent  States"  was  introduced  in  the 
Continental  Congress.  The  proposal  was  discussed  for  3  days  after 
which  on  June  10th  a  committee  was  appointed  to  draft  a  Declaration 
of  Independence  to  be  considered  on  July  1st.  Robert  R.  Livingston 
of  New  York  was  a  member  of  that  committee:^  The  postponement 
was  made  because  "New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Maryland 
and  South  Carolina  were  not  yet  matured  for  falling  from  the  parent 
stem,  but  were  fast  advancing  to  that  state."  On  June  28th  the  com- 
mittee brought  in  the  "first  draft"  which  was  taken  up  for  discussion  on 
July  1st.  The  problem  submitted  to  the  New  York  Provincial  Congress 
by  its  representatives  at  Philadelphia  was  carefully  considered  on  June 
10th.  The  next  day  on  the  motion  of  John  Jay  it  was  "resolved  unani- 
mously, that  the  good  people  of  this  colony  have  not,  in  the  opinion 
of  this  Congress,  authorized  this  Congress,  or  the  Delegates  of  this 
Colony  in  the  Continental  Congress,  to  declare  this  Colony  to  be  and 
continue  independent  of  the  Crown  of  Great  Britain."  At  the  same 
time  the  people  were  "earnestly  recommended"  to  elect  representa- 
tives to  a  new  Provincial  Congress  which  should  have  "full  power  to 
deliberate  and  determine  on  every  question  whatever  and  execute  every 
act  and  measure  .  '  .  .  conductive  to  the  happiness,  security  and 
welfare  of  this  colony." 


■■Jefferson,  John  Adams,  Franklin  and  Sherman  were  named  with  Livingston  on 
June  11th. 


68  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION   IN    NEW    YORK 

John  Jay  wrote  the  reply  to  the  New  York  delegates  at  Philadelphia 
on  June  11th,  in  which  he  said  that  the  Provincial  Congress  "are 
unanimously  of  opinion  that  you  are  not  authorized  by  your  instruc- 
tions to  give  the  sense  of  this  Colony  on  the  question  of  declaring  it 
to  be,  and  continue,  an  independent  state."  Moreover,  "This  Congress 
think  it  would  be  imprudent  to  require  the  sentiments  of  the  people 
relative  to  the  question  of  Independence,  lest  it  should  create  division, 
and  have  an  unhappy  influence."  The  New  York  delegates  acknowl- 
edged receipt  of  the  communication  and  said  "we  shall  be  careful  to 
regulate  our  future  conduct"  by  it.  As  a  result  of  this  situation,  the 
delegates  of  New  York  as  a  unit  uniformly  and  consistently  refrained 
from  voting  for  measures  aiming  at  independence. 

On  July  2,  1776,  while  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  being 
discussed  in  the  committee  of  the  whole  in  Congress,  the  New  York 
delegates  again  appealed  to  their  home  colony  for  instructions.  They 
said  that  there  was  little  doubt  of  the  passage  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence;  that  New  York  alone  was  uninstructed  on  the  question, 
and  wanted  to  know  what  they  should  do  "after  this  event  takes  place." 
They  complained  that  "our  situation  is  singular  and  delicate,"  and 
begged  for  the  "earliest  advice"  as  to  how  to  proceed.  The  Provincial 
Congress  had  adjourned  on  June  30,  1776,  and  did  not  reassemble, 
thus  deferring  this  problem  to  the  newly  elected  Provincial  Con- 
gress which  convened T,  at  White  Plains  on  July  9th,  After  thorough 
discussion  in  the  Continental  Congress  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence was  -adopted  on  July  4th,  and  ordered  printed  and  sent  to  all  the 
colonial  legislatures  and  to  the  commanding  officers  of  continental 
troops  to  be  "proclaimed  in  each  of  the  United  States  and  at  the  head 
of  the  army."  The  New  York  delegates  cast  no  vote  on  July  4th  but 
some  of  the  delegates  hastened  home  to  urge  the  adoption  of  the 
Declaration. 

There  has  been  a  persistent  tradition  that  Henry  Wisner  and  George 
Clinton  voted  for  the  Declaration  of  Independence  on  July  4,  1776. 
In  the  case  of  Clinton  the  tradition  seems  to  lack  substantiation  from 
the  contemporary  records.  The  claim  for  Wisner  has  a  better  foun- 
dation. Judge  Thomas  McKean  of  Delaware,  who  was  present  on 
July  4th,  and  himself  voted  for  independence,  in  a  letter  to  A.  J. 
Dallas  dated  September  26,  1796,  20  years  after  the  event,  asserted 
that  Wisner  "voted"  for  separation.  In  three  subsequent  letters  he 
made  the  same  statement.  It  is  not  impossible  that  when  the  roll  was 
called  Wisner  expressed  himself  in  favor  of  the  Declaration,  but  since 
the  other  New  York  delegates,  in  obedience  to  their  instructions,  re- 
frained from  voting,  Wisner's  "vote,"  if  given,  was  not  counted  be- 


NEW  York's  declaration  of  independence  69 

cause  the  colonies  voted  as  a  unit.  Technically  there  were  no  indi- 
vidual votes.  If  he  did  cast  his  "vote"  for  independence,  it  was 
clearly  against  his  instructions  from  the  New  York  Provincial  Con- 
gress. Such  open  disregard  of  his  orders  would  have  provoked  some 
comment,  probably,  either  from  his  colleagues  or  from  the  Provincial 
Congress,  but  no  reference  to  his  alleged  "vote"  appears  in  any  of 
the  records. 

After  organizing  on  July  9,  1776,  the  Provincial  Congress  imme- 
diately listened  to  the  reading  of  two  letters,  one  dated  July  2d  and 
the  other  presumably  July  5th  or  6thl  In  the  latter  was  inclosed  a 
copy  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  signed  by  John  Hancock, 
president,  and  attested  by  Charles  Thomson,  secretary.  Only  ten 
counties  were  represented  —  the  deputies  of  Gloucester,  Kings,  Rich- 
mond and  Westchester  counties  not  having  arrived.  The  occasion 
was  one  of  great  solemnity  and  of  vital  significance  to  the  province. 
Apparently  without  debate  the  letter  and  the  Declaration  were  "re- 
ferred to  a  committee,  to  consist  of  Mr  Jay,  Mr  Yates,  Mr  Hobart, 
Mr  Brasher  and  Mr  Wm.  Smith,"  which  reported  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  same  day: 

1  That  the  reasons  assigned  for  the  Declaration  are  "cogent  and 
conclusive;  and  that  while  we  lament  the  cruel  necessity  which  has 
rendered  that  measure  unavoidable,  we  approve  the  same,  and  will, 
at  the  risk  of  our  lives  and  fortunes,  join  with  the  other  colonies  in 
supporting  it." 

2  That  a  copy  of  the  Declaration  and  the  resolution  "be  sent  to  the 
chairman  of  the  committee  of  the  county  of  Westchester  with  orders  to 
publish  the  same  with  beat  of  drum  at  this  place"  on  July  11th  and  to 
have  it  "published  with  all  convenient  speed  in  the  several  districts 
within  the  said  county." 

3  That  500  copies  of  the  Declaration  and  these  resolutions  be 
printed  in  handbills  and  sent  forthwith  to  all  the  county  committees  of 
the  State  with  orders  to  publish  it  in  the  districts. 

4  That  the  New  York  delegates  at  Philadelphia  be  authorized  to  vote 
for  "all  such  measures  as  they  may  deem  conductive  to  the  happiness 
and  welfare  of  the  United  States  of  America." 

The  report  was  unanimously  adopted.  By  this  action  New  York 
aligned  herself  with  her  twelve  sister  colonies  and  made  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence  unanimous.  Messengers  were  sent  through 
the  colony  to  publish  the  Declaration  and  resolutions.  Also  a  swift 
messenger  was  sent  to  the  New  York  delegates  at  Philadelphia  em- 
powering them  to  vote  for  the  people  of  an  independent  state.     The 


70  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

Thirteen  Colonies  were  now  transformed  into  the  United  States.     A 
new  nation  unfurled  its  flag  to  the  world. 

Conscious  of  the  new  political  status  which  the  province  had  at- 
tained by  the  ratification  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  the 
deputies  on  July  10th  voted  unanimously  "That  the  style  or  title  of 
this  House  be  changed  from  that  of  the  Provincial  Congress  of  the 
Colony  of  New  York  to  that  of  the  Convention  of  the  Representatives 
of  the  State  of  New  York."  The  next  day  a  letter  from  John  Han- 
cock dated  July  6th,  inclosing  the  Declaration  was  "read  and  filed." 
In  a  reply,  drafted  on  the  same  day,  Hancock  was  told  that  his  re- 
quest to  have  the  Declaration  proclaimed  had  been  anticipated  by 
2  days.  At  the  same  time  the  suggestion  was  made  that  the  Book 
of  Common  Prayer  be  so  modified  as  to  eliminate  "all  such  prayers 
as  interfere  with  the  American  cause." 

On  July  9th  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  read  to  each 
brigade  of  the  troops  in  New  York  City  and  vicinity  on  their  several 
parades  "by  order  of  Gen.  Washington."  The  announcement  of  the 
birth  of  a  new  nation  was  not  accompanied  by  the  booming  of  guns 
and  fervid  oratory.  There  was  no  powder  to  spare  for  such  a  noise. 
The  troops  were  not  dressed  up  for  a  fine  parade,  for  they  lacked  such 
uniforms.  And  the  situation  was  too  serious  for  much  oratory.  The 
general  order  of  Washington  concluded  with  these  words:  "The  Gen- 
eral hopes  this  important  event  will  serve  as  a  fresh  incentive  to  every 
officer  and  soldier  to  act  with  fidelity  and  courage,  as  knowing  that 
now  the  peace  and  safety  of  his  country  depends  (under  God)  solely 
on  the  success  of  our  arms,  and  that  he  is  now  in  the  service  of  a  State 
possessed  of  sufficient  power  to  reward  his  merit  and  advance  him  to 
the  highest  honours  of  a  free  country."  The  proclamation  of  inde- 
pendence in  and  about  New  York  City  was  received  with  demonstra- 
tions of  delight,  ringing  of  bells  and  jubilant  shouts. 

On  the  night  of  the  9th  the  new  enthusiasm  produced  by  the  issuance 
of  the  Declaration  expressed  itself  in  a  demonstration.  The  gilded 
leaden  equestrian  statue  of  George  III  was  dragged  from  its  base  in  the 
Bowling  Green.  Later,  parts  of  it  were  molded  into  patriotic  bullets  in 
Connecticut.  Washington  mildly  rebuked  the  troops  for  this  act,  and 
while  appreciating  the  motive,  ordered  that  for  the  "future  these  things 
shall  be  avoided  by  the  soldiery."  Captain  John  Montressor,  chief 
engineer  of  the  British  army  in  America,  recovered  the  mutilated  head 
of  the  king  and  sent  it  to  Lord  Townshend  "in  order  to  convince  them 
at  home  of  the  infamous  disposition  of  the  ungrateful  people  of  this 


NEW  YORK  S  DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE 


71 


distressed  country."^     Thus  the  military  celebration  of  the  Declaration 
antedated  its  formal  promulgation  to  the  people  of  the  State. 

The  Committee  of  Safety  ordered  "That  at  12  o'clock  on  Thursday, 
the  18th  inst.  at  the  City  Hall,  in  this  city,  the  aforesaid  Declaration 
be  published,  when  and  where  it  is  hoped  every  true  friend  to  the 
rights  and  Liberties  of  this  country  will  not  fail  to  attend."  Hence  the 
"Declaration  was  read  at  the  City  Hall,  July  18,  1776,  to  a  numerous 
and  respectable  body  of  the  freeholders  and  principal  inhabitants  of 


Reading  the  Declaration  of  Independence   at  White  Plains,  July   11,  1776 
{Courtesy  Westchester   Title   and   Trust   Company) 

this  city  and  county  and  was  received  with  general  applause  and  heart- 
felt satisfaction;  and  at  the  same  time  our  late  King's  Coat  of  Arms  was 
brought  from  the  Hall,  where  his  courts  were  formerly  held,  and 
burned  amidst  the  acclamation  of  thousands  of  spectators." 

A  good  example  of  how  the  news  about  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence was  carried  over  the  State  is  supplied  in  the  records  of  the 
Albany  County  Committee.  The  minutes  for  July  17,  1776,  give  this 
entry:  "Received  a  Letter  from  Abraham  Yates  Jutf  Rob''.  Yates  and 
Matthew  Adgate  dated  White  Plains  14'^  Instant,  inclosing  the  Declara- 


^  The  stone  slab  on  v^hich  the  statue  stood  was  taken  to  Powles  Hook  in  1783. 
Later  it  served  as  a  marker  for  the  grave  of  Major  John  Smith  of  the  42d  High- 
landers, and  still  later  as  a  doorstep  of  Cornelius  Van  Vorst  of  Jersey  City.  It  is 
now  in  the  possession  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society  together  with  the  tail  of 
the  horse  and  part  of  the  saddle.  The  white  marble  pedestal  was  removed  from 
Bowling  Green  in  1818. 


7^  THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW   YORK 

tion  of  the  United  States  of  America,  declaring  the  said  United  States 
free  and  Independent,  also  the  Resolution  of  the  Representatives  of  the 
State  of  New  York." 

The  next  day  it  was  "Resolved  That  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
be  published  and  declared  in  this  City  to  morrow  at  Eleven  OClock  at 
this  place,  and  that  Coll".  Van  Schaick  be  requested  to  order  the  Con- 
tinental Troops  in  this  City  to  appear  under  Arms  at  the  place  afore- 
said and  Farther  that  the  Captains  of  the  several  Militia  Company's 
in  this  City  be  requested  to  Warn  the  Persons  belonging  to  their 
respective  Companies  to  appear  at  the  place  aforesaid  and  for  the 
purpose  aforesaid." 

On  July  19,  1776,  "Pursuant  to  a  Resolution  of  Yesterday  the 
Declaration  of  Independency  was  this  Day  read  and  published  at  the 
City  Hall  to  a  large  Concourse  of  the  Inhabitants  of  this  City,  and  the 
Continental  Troops  in  this  City  and  received  with  applause  and  satis- 
faction." 

The  records  are  lacking  for  other  villages  and  towns,  and  the  country 
districts  of  the  State,  but  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  these  communities 
followed  the  example  of  New  York  City,  White  Plains  and  Albany, 
and  that  the  military  officers  outside  the  region  of  the  metropolis 
carried  out  Washington's  orders  when  they  were  received. 

The  Continental  Congress  on  July  19,  1776,  ordered  the  Declaration 
of  Independence  "engraved  on  parchment"  and  signed.  The  signatures 
were  affixed  on  August  2d  and  later.  The  document  bore  the  names  of 
four  New  Yorkers  —  William  Floyd,  Francis  Lewis,  Philip  Livingston 
and  Lewis  Morris. 

The  New  York  Provincial  Convention  on  March  6,  1777,  received  a 
letter  from  John  Hancock  dated  Baltimore,  January  31,  1777,  inclos- 
ing a  copy  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  with  the  names  of 
all  the  signers  and  a  resolution  that  the  same  be  put  on  record  and  pre- 
served in  the  state  archives.    It  was  printed  in  the  records  of  that  body. 

The  Declaration  of  Independence  gave  finality  to  the  Revolution.  It 
forced  every  American  to  take  a  stand.  Either  he  must  acknowledge 
himself  a  Loyalist  and  hence  a  champion  of  oppression  and  tyranny 
and  a  traitor  to  the  United  States,  or  else  he  must  join  his  fellow  coun- 
trymen for  a  new  order.  No  man  was  permitted  to  remain  neutral. 
John  Alsop,  a  New  York  delegate  to  the  Continental  Congress,  be- 
lieved that  a  door  should  be  "left  open  for  a  reconciliation  with 
Great  Britain."  Now  that  the  "Declaration  closed  the  door,"  he  resigned 
his  seat  on  July  16th.  "The  Tories  dread  a  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence .  .  .  more  than  death  itself,"  wrote  a  Whig.  Now  there 
could  be  no  compromise,  for  force  and  not  logic  must  decide.     The 


NEW  York's  declaration  of  independence  73 

unity  of  the  British  Empire  was  the  supreme  issue.  After  July  4, 
1776,  the  Loyalists,  as  they  called  themselves,  or  Tories  as  they  were 
designated  by  the  revolutionists,  were  outcasts  from  their  own  homes 
and  outlawed  as  traitors  by  the  State.  If  true  to  their  con- 
victions, no  other  course  was  open  to  them  than  to  pray  and  to 
work  for  the  defeat  of  the  patriots  and  the  victory  of  imperial 
arms.  Thousands  of  them  joined  the  British  army  to  wage  war  on 
their  former  neighbors  and  kinsmen.  Other  thousands  suffered  in 
prison  or  lived  hated  and  suspected  under  parole.  Still  other  thousands 
fled  as  exiles  to  Nova  Scotia,  Newfoundland,  Canada,  the  Bahama 
Islands  and  Great  Britain.  Their  property  was  confiscated  by  the  new 
State,  and,  although  partially  repaid  by  the  British  government  for 
their  losses,  they  had  to  begin  life  anew  in  a  strange  land.  The 
Loyalists  of  New  York  constituted  approximately  half  of  the  popula- 
tion of  the  State,  Many  of  them  made  the  best  of  the  situation,  con- 
formed to  the  new  political  order  and  in  time  became  good  citizens 
of  the  State. 

The  Declaration  of  Independence  instilled  a  new  spirit  in  the  hearts 
of  the  patriots.  It  is  true  that  now  they  had  to  fight  their  former 
neighbors  and  relatives  as  well  as  the  British  troops  and  hired  soldiers 
from  the  continent,  but  they  had  a  goal  worthy  of  their  best  endeavors. 
Defeat  meant  punishment  and  retaliation  together  with  the  loss  of  the 
American  cause.  Military  victory  alone  could  win  for  them  the  triumph 
of  the  liberties,  principles  and  free  institutions  for  which  Americans 
had  been  contending  for  years.  Consequently  civilians  and  soldiers 
alike  were  now  imbued  with  a  new  vision  and  a  greater  determination 
to  win.  Hardships  incident  to  war  were  more  readily  endured  by  all 
classes. 

A  new  social  and  political  order  began  to  emerge.  The  poorer  class 
gained  many  advantages.  Landless  tenants  bought  the  lands  confiscated 
from  the  rich  Tory  landlords.  The  right  to  vote  was  extended  to  thou- 
sands who  had  never  enjoyed  the  privilege,  and  a  new  set  of  leaders 
came  to  the  front  in  all  parts  of  the  State.  Out  of  the  chaotic  transi- 
tion period  of  rule  by  committees  and  congresses  gradually  arose 
orderly  government.  The  people  were  now  free  to  draw  up  a  constitu- 
tion of  their  own  choice  and  to  organize  a  government  through  which 
they  could  make  their  own  laws. 


Letter  of  Philip  Livingston 
Original  in  New  York  State  Library 


A^ju»^<v»^  0.>^/H^-i^  /■^iit**-'*^^  Ci..f>'4A^^h!J-e^  <*^*-«->^  ^  7  -\,       ' 

'^-^^^.s^.^^jf^ ■ill,-,,    A^.>^^^^/  *c^,.  £^^f^.  -^^  Ma/^  /^  *-  '>'^^ 

,,„....„:u.J,^  u.^  JL  L^  __    y^J^,^^  £j^^^  s^^^XM  Jy^^ 


Letter  of  Lewis  Morris 
Original  in  New  York  State  Library 


GOVERNMENT  UNDER  THE  FIRST  STATE  CONSTITUTION 

OF  1777 

In  the  year  1774,  as  the  dispute  with  the  British  government  became 
more  and  more  acute,  there  began  that  interesting  transition  from 
colonial  to  state  government.  The  first  step  was  the  creation  of  extra- 
legal bodies  called  committees,  which  gradually  assumed  all  political 
authority.  They  started  as  committees  of  correspondence  to  receive 
and  to  convey  ideas  about  their  common  concerns  both  within  and 
without  the  colony.  Then  they  assumed  the  authority  to  protect  their 
rights  and  became  committees  of  safety.  Finally  they  usurped  the 
functions  of  the  local  colonial  officials  and  were  transformed  into 
revolutionary  bodies.  In  the  city  of  Albany,  for  instance,  the  com- 
mon council  was  replaced  by  a  revolutionary  committee  from  March 
25,  1776  to  April  17,  1778.  When  in  1774  the  First  Continental 
Congress  recommended  that  each  town,  city  and  county  form  a  com- 
mittee, these  bodies  seemed  to  have  a  legal  standing. 

In  New  York,  from  1775  until  the  first  State  Legislature  met 
late  in  1777,  these  local  committees  were  supplemented  by  revo- 
lutionary bodies  known,  according  to  their  character  and  function, 
as  conventions,  congresses  and  committees  or  councils  of  safety. 
The  conventions  and  congresses  were  ^chosen  directly  by  the  peo- 
ple and  assumed,  all  the  functions  of  government  after  the  old 
colonial  Assembly  held  its  last  meeting  on  April  3,  1775,  and 
Governor  Tryon,  by  his  flight  to  a  British  war  ship  about  the  mid- 
dle of  October,  was  assumed  to  have  abdicated.  The  committees 
of  safety  were  chosen  by  the  Convention  or  Congress  to  act  for  it 
during  periods  of  adjournment  or  lack  of  a  quorum,  and  thus  only 
indirectly  represented  the  people  of  the  State.  The  Council  of 
Safety  chosen  for  the  first  time  by  the  Convention  on  May  3,  1777,  was 
regarded  as  a  "temporary  form  of  government."  It  consisted  of  fif- 
teen members  and  chose  its  own  president,  secretaries  and  doorkeeper, 
as  the  Congress  or  Convention  did,  and  governed  the  State  until  the 
State  Legislature  met. 

On  May  10,  1776,  before  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was 
adopted,  the  Continental  Congress  recommended  "the  respective 
assemblies  and  conventions  of  the  United  Colonies  ...  to  adopt  such 
government  as  shall,  in  the  opinion  of  the  representatives  of  the  people, 
best  conduce   to   the    happiness   and    safety    of   their   constituents   in 

[77] 


0^^. 


George  Clinton 


THE    CONSTITUTION  OF    1777  79 

particular,  and  America  in  general."     A  preamble  was  added  on  May 
15th,  and  the  resolution  was  ordered  published. 

The  temporary  patriot  government  by  committees,  conventions,  con- 
gresses and  councils,  which  emerged  with  the  approbation  of  the  revo- 
lutionary party,  was  far  from  satisfactory  but,  in  the  emergency,  it 
served  with  a  fair  degree  of  success  and  formed  a  bridge  for  the  tran- 
sition from  the  status  of  a  dependent  colony  to  that  of  an  independent 
state.  It  was  therefore  with  some  eagerness  that  on  May  24,  1776,  the 
Provincial  Congress  took  up  the  recommendations  of  the  Continental 
Congress  for  erecting  new  state  governments  and  heard  Gouverneur 
Morris  deliver  "a  long  argument  .  .  .  showing  the  necessity  of  the 
measure."  He  then  moved  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  outline  a 
plan  "for  the  choosing  of  persons  to  frame  a  government"  for  the 
State.  Having  some  doubt  as  to  their  "power  to  form  a  government," 
members  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  after  a  serious  debate,  finally  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  report.  This  committee,  composed  of  John 
Morin  Scott,  John  Haring,  Jeremiah  Remsen,  Francis  Lewis,  John  Jay, 
Jacob  Cuyler  and  John  Broome,  made  a  report  on  May  27th,  which 
was  virtually  a  declaration  of  independence. 

As  a  result  of  the  war  waged  against  the  colonies  by  the  British 
parliament,  it  was  asserted  that  the  "old  form  of  government"  was 
thereby  dissolved  and  that  it  had  become  "absolutely  necessary  for 
the  good  of  the  people  of  this  colony  to  institute"  a  new  form  of 
"internal  government  and  police"  with  "the  supreme  legislative  and  ex- 
ecutive power"  located  wholly  within  the  state  "in  exclusion  of  all 
foreign  and  external  power,  authority,  dominion,  jurisdiction  and  pre- 
eminence whatsoever."  The  committee  further  proclaimed  the  demo- 
cratic principle  that  the  right  to  create  a  new  government  "is,  and  ought 
to  be  in  the  people."  Thus  New  York  announced  its  right  to  complete 
self-government  before  the  Continental  Congress  issued  the  Declaration 
of  Independence. 

After  the  way  was  cleared  by  this  revolutionary  action,  the  com- 
mittee recommended  that  since  the  temporary  government  by  congress 
and  committees,  which  the  people  had  created,  was  "subject  to  many 
defects,"  the  inhabitants  should  decide  by  elections  in  each  county 
either  to  return  their  present  representatives  or  to  choose  new  ones  "to 
institute  a  new  internal  form  of  government  .  .  .  suited  to  the  present 
critical  emergency,  and  to  continue  in  full  force  and  effect  until  a 
future  peace  with  Great  Britain  shall  render  the  same  unnecessary." 
Through  the  newspapers  and  handbills  the  people  were  urged  to  carry 
these  recommendations  into  execution. 


Jk^-^iL^  j4^^-^^^7^ 


THE    CONSTITUTION  OF    1777  81 

The  acceptance  of  this  proposal  opened  the  way  for  a  new  "con- 
stitutionally established'  state  government.  It  was  taken  for  granted 
that  "by  the  abdication  of  the  late  governor"  the  old  government  was 
dissolved.  The  exercise  of  every  kind  of  authority  under  the  crown, 
it  was  resolved  on  May  31st,  "should  be  totally  suppressed"  and 
assumed  by  the  people.  In  consequence,  the  trial  of  a  sentinel  for 
shooting  a  man  was  taken  away  from  the  royal  courts  and  transferred 
to  a  court  martial  or  the  civil  authority.  This  seemed  to  mark  the  end 
of  the  old  courts. 

The  "Convention  of  the  Representatives  of  the  State  of  New  York" 
convened  on  July  9,  1776,  at  White  Plains,  and  adopted  this  title  on  the 
10th  after  approving  the  Declaration  of  Independence  on  the  9th.  With 
the  exception  of  Alexander  Hamilton  and  Aaron  Burr,  all  the  conspicu- 
ous political  leaders  of  New  York  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century 
after  the  Revolution  were  members  of  this  and  preceding  revolutionary 
bodies.  On  the  list  of  members  were  John  Jay,  George  and  James  Clin- 
ton, James  Duane,  Philip  and  Robert  R.  Livingston,  Philip  Schuyler, 
John  Morin  Scott,  Alexander  McDougall,  John  Sloss  Hobart, 
Abraham,  Richard  and  Robert  Yates,  John  and  Philip  Van  Cort- 
landt,  Francis  Lewis  and  Gouverneur  Morris.  After  approving 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,,  the  Convention  declared  that  on  the 
day  following  the  battle  of  Lexington  New  York  began  its  existence 
as  a  free  state.  Such  parts  of  the  English  law  as  were  in  force  in  the 
colony  on  April  19,  1775,  were  adopted  as  the  law  of  the  State.  Also 
all  grants  and  charters  made  by  the  king  of  Great  Britain  after  October 
14,  1775,  were  declared  null  and  void.  At  the  same  time,  all  sales  of 
land  fom  the  Indians  after  that  date  were  pronounced  invalid,  unless 
authorized  by  the  State  Legislature.  Quitrents  formerly  due  the  King- 
dom of  Great  Britain  were  appropriated  by  the  State. 

The  postponement  of  the  consideration  of  a  form  of  government  on 
July  16th  did  not  prevent  a  vote  (1)  "That  all  magistrates  and  other 
officers  of  justice  in  this  State,  who  are  well  affected  to  the  liberties 
of  America,  be  requested,  until  further  orders,  to  exercise  their  respec- 
tive offices"  under  the  "authority  and  in  the  name  of  the  State  of  New 
York;"  and  (2)  "That  all  persons  abiding  within  the  State  of  New 
York"  under  the  law,  are  "members  of  the  State"  and  "owe  allegiance 
to  the  said  laws."  Treason  was  defined  and  death  was  made  its 
penalty. 

•  Meanwhile  the  presence  of  British  forces  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York 
City  and  the  dangerous  situation  of  the  State  occupied  so  much  of  the 
time  of  the  convention  that  it  was  not  until  August  1,  1776,  that  the 
Convention  gave  its  attention  to  a  new  form  of  government.  A  com- 
mittee consisting  of  John  Jay,  John   Sloss  Hobart,   William   Smith, 


THE    CONSTITUTION  OF    1777  83 

William  Duer,  Gouverneur  Morris,  Robert  R.  Livingston,  Colonel  John 
Broome,  John  Morin  Scott,  Abraham  Yates,  Henry  Wisner,  Samuel 
Townshend,  Colonel  Charles  De  Witt  and  Robert  Yates  was  appointed 
to  report  a  bill  of  rights  and  a  form  of  government. 

In  the  Provincial  Convention,  a  majority,  led  by  General  John 
Morin  Scott,  favored  popular  government.  They  wished,  in  making 
the  new  constitution,  to  do  something  more  than  merely  change  names. 
No  one  understood  better  than  John  Jay  that  this  was  an  "ultra-demo- 
cratic" body  and  it  was  probably  due  to  his  good  sense  and  level  head 
that  a  fine  balance  was  maintained.  By  the  close  vote  of  21  to  20, 
General  John  Morin  Scott  had  been  put  on  the  committee  appointed  to 
formulate  the  constitution,  only  after  strenuous  opposition  led  by 
Gouverneur  Morris,  who  gave  as  his  reason  the  resolution  of  the 
Provincial  Congress  excluding  military  officers  from  a  seat  in  that 
body.  If  the  radicalism  of  General  Scott  was  feared,  the  alarm  was 
needless  for  the  Constitution  of  1777  was  conspicuous  for  the  absence 
of  pronounced  democratic  innovations.  Indeed  the  document  was  not 
even  submitted  to  the  people  for  ratification:  and  under  it  suffrage  was 
so  restricted  that  in  1790  in  New  York  City  only  1303  out  of  13,330 
male  residents  voted  for  governor.  The  Court  of  Chancery,  used  by 
royal  governors  to  thwart  the  will  of  the  popular  Assembly,  also  re- 
mained unchanged. 

More  than  6  months  passed  before  the  committee  delegated  to 
frame  a  Constitution  for  the  State  was  ready  to  report.  Meantime  the 
temporary  revolutionary  bodies  carried  on  the  government.  Since  it 
seemed  desirable  to  perpetuate  the  regular  civil  government  so  far  as 
possible,  the  Provincial  Committee  of  Safety,  on  March  1,  1777,  with- 
out waiting  for  the  new  Constitution,  ordered  the  towns,  precincts, 
manors  and  districts  in  each  county  "to  proceed  to  the  election  of 
supervisors,  assessors  and  collectors"  for  1  year  on  the  "first  Tuesday 
of  April  next"  in  the  "usual  places."  The  local  committee  of  Sche- 
nectady, and  no  doubt  other  regions,  as  early  as  January  5,  1777,  ap- 
pointed a  constable.  This  action  was  followed  on  March  28th  by  the 
election  of  a  supervisor,  two  assessors,  four  overseers  of  highways,  two 
firemasters,  four  constables,  two  poormasters,  two  fence  makers,  and 
two  poundmasters.  On  April  14th  all  persons  above  16  years  of  age 
were  declared  eligible  to  watch  duty. 

Abraham  Yates  was  chairman  of  the  committee  named  to  write  a  new 
Constitution  for  Ne\Y  York,  but  John  Jay  as  the  leading  member  was 
looked  to  for  the  first  draft  and  in  the  early  spring  of  1777  he  retired 
to  the  country  to  write  it.  "We  have  a  government  to  form,  you  know," 
he  wrote,   "and   God  knows  what  it  will  resemble.    Our   politicians, 


w 


THE    CONSTITUTION  OF    1777  85 

like  some  guests  at  a  feast,  are  perplexed  and  undetermined  which  dtsh 
to  prefer."  It  is  quite  generally  conceded  that  Robert  R.  Livingston 
and  Gouverneur  Morris  collaborated  with  John  Jay  to  a  greater  degree 
than  any  other  members  of  the  committee  in  formulating  the  instru- 
ment as  a  whole.  Jay's  draft  of  the  Constitution  was  presented  to  the 
Convention  on  March  12,  1777,  and  owing  to  Jay's  absence  was  read 
by  James  Duane.  The  next  day  discussion  of  it  began  and  continued 
from  day  to  day  until  Sunday,  April  20,  1777,  when  the  amended  Con- 
stitution was  read  and  agreed  to  by  every  member  except  Colonel 
Peter  R.  Livingston.  The  birthday  of  New  York  as  a  constitutional 
state,  therefore,  was  Sunday,  April  20,  1777. 

The  Council  of  Revision  and  Council  of  Appointment  were  important 
additions  made  during  the  discussion.  It  was  then  ordered  that  500 
copies  of  the  Constitution,  without  the  preamble,  and  2500  copies  with 
it,  be  printed  immediately,  and  that  the  fundamental  law  of  the  State 
be  published  at  the  courthouse  at  11  o'clock  on  April  22d.  At  the  same 
time  Robert  R.  Livingston,  John  Morin  Scott,  Gouverneur  Morris, 
Abraham  Yates,  John  Jay  and  John  Sloss  Hobart  were  named  as  a 
committee  "to  report  a  plan  for  organizing  and  establishing  the  govern- 
ment." 

The  Constitution  of  1777,  the  first  of  the  State  of  New  York,  con- 
tained a  lengthy  preamble  explaining  the  election  of  the  Convention 
and  quoting  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  which  supplied  the  rea- 
sons for  separating  from  the  British  Empire.  Then  followed  forty-two 
articles  which  created  the  governmental  machinery  "by  the  authority 
of  the  good  people  of  this  State."  Naturally  the  colonial  government 
was  taken  as  a  model.  Its  main  features  were  incorporated  while  the 
royal  characteristics  were  eliminated.  The  old  judicial  system  and 
also  the  city,  county  and  town  governments  were  continued  sub- 
stantially unchanged.  A  modified  legislature  and  a  circumscribed 
executive  were  provided.  A  popular  representative  government  was 
created.  Governor  and  Lieutenant  Governor  were  made  elective  by 
a  limited  male  suffrage,  protected  by  a  written  ballot;  members  of 
the  Legislature  were  chosen  by  viva  voce  voting,  and  assemblymen 
by  a  wider  electorate;  provision  was  made  for  the  extension  of  the 
ballot  to  the  election  of  members  of  the  Legislature  after  the  war,  but, 
even  then,  the  Legislature  might  repeal  such  action  if  it  were  found 
unsatisfactory  after  trial.  Provision  was  made  for  a  state  militia,  and 
clergymen  were  exqluded  from  holding  office.  The  original  copy  of 
the  Constitution  remained  in  the  hands  of  a  private  individual  until 
1818  when  it  was  obtained  by  the  State. 


First  Reformed  Church,  Fishkill 


THE    CONSTITUTION  OF    1777  87 

In  general  the  new  state  government  resembled  that  of  the  colony. 
The  Assembly  was  continued  substantially  as  it  had  existed  under  the 
colonial  system.  The  Senate  succeeded  the  Governor's  Council  and  it 
was  even  proposed  to  call  this  second  house  a  "Council."  The  powers 
of  the  colonial  Governor  were  largely  retained.  Most  of  the  old 
administrative  offices  were  adopted  without  change.  With  but  slight 
modification  the  judicial  system  was  incorporated  in  the  new  political 
order.  The  entire  body  of  local  officers  in  the  colony  was  perpetuated. 
The  outstanding  difference  between  the  State  and  the  colony  was 
in  the  transfer  of  sovereign  power  by  revolution  from  the  British 
imperial  government  to  the  people  of  New  York.  Three  general 
departments  of  government  —  executive,  legislative  and  judicial  — 
were  recognized,  but  with  a  partial  check  on  one  another. 

The  framers  of  the  first  State  Constitution  consciously  sought  to 
create  a  Legislature  that  would  be  the  most  important  branch  of  the 
government.  It  was  composed  of  two  houses,  the  Assembly  and  the 
Senate.  The  Assembly  consisted  of  seventy  members  chosen  annually 
by  males  of  "full  age"  who  had  lived  6  months  in  one  county  and 
owned  a  freehold  valued  at  £20,  or  rented  property  of  the  "yearly 
value  of  40  shillings,"  and  paid  state  taxes.  The  Senate  was  composed 
of  twenty-four  members  elected  for  4  years  by  freeholders  owning 
property  valued  at  £100.  The  law-making  power  was  limited  by  the 
Council  of  Revision,  made  up  of  the  Governor,  the  Chancellor,  and  the 
judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  which  had  a  veto  power.  A  subsequent 
passage  of  a  vetoed  measure  by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  the  members  of 
each  house,  however,  made  it  a  law.  Likewise  if  the  Council  of  Revi- 
sion delayed  action  on  a  bill  for  more  than  10  days  while  the  Legis- 
lature was  in  session  it  became  a  law. 

Robert  R.  Livingston,  afterwards  Chancellor  of  the  State,  was 
responsible  for  proposing  the  Council  of  Revision  in  order  to  prevent 
the  enactment,  hastily  iand  unadvisedly,  of  laws  inconsistent  with  the 
public  good.  The  Council  had  a  clerk  and  sat  behind  closed  doors. 
Down  to  1790  of  the  sixty-one  laws  vetoed,  one  was  amended  and 
became  law,  thirty  were  passed  by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  the  Legislature, 
and  thirty  failed  to  become  laws.  During  the  44  years  of  the  existence 
of  the  Council  of  Revision  it  vetoed  169  bills,  fifjy-one  of  which  the 
Legislature  passed  into  law.  The  check  on  legislation  by  the  executive 
and  judicial  branches  of  the  State  Government  seems  to  have  been 
quite  effective.  ^ 

The  Constitution  gave  the  Legislature  administrative  power  also  by 
assigning  to  it  four  out  of  the  five  members  of  the  Council  of  Appoint- 
ment who  were  chosen  by  the  Assembly  from  the  Senate.     Control 


Title   Page    ot    i^irst    Constitution    ol    iNew   York   State 

(Courtesy  New  York  Historical  Society) 


THE    CONSTITUTION  OF    1777  89 

of  finances  had  been  the  chief  subject  of  contention  with  the  crown, 
hence  special  care  was  taken  to  keep  the  purse  strings  in  the  hands  of 
the  Legislature.  It  might  naturalize  aliens,  and  was  prohibited  from 
passing  acts  of  attainder. 

The  seventy  members  of  the  Assembly  were  apportioned  to  the  four- 
teen counties  on  the  basis  of  population.  For  the  election  of  senators 
the  State  was  divided  into  "four  great  districts"  and  one-fourth  retired 
each  year.  The  southern  district  included  New  York  and  Westchester 
counties,  Long  Island  and  Staten  Island  and  was  assigned  nine  sena- 
tors; the  middle  district  included  Ulster,  Orange  and  Dutchess,  with 
six  senators;  in  the  western  district  were  Albany  and  Tryon,  with  six 
senators;  and  in  the  northern  district  Charlotte,  Gloucester  and  Cum- 
berland counties,  with  three  senators.  In  their  powers  and  procedure 
the  two  bodies  were  essentially  alike. 

The  supreme  executive  authority  of  the  State  was  vested  in  the 
Governor  who  was  elected  from  the  freeholders  for  a  term  of  3  years. 
He  was  the  commander  of  the  military  forces  of  the  State  and  his 
political  powers  were  similar  to  those  of  the  colonial  governor.  He 
had  authority  to  convene  the  Legislature  in  special  session  and 
could  prorogue  it  not  to  exceed  60  days  in  one  year.  Except  in  the 
case  of  treason  or  murder,  he  had  authority  to  grant  pardons 
and  reprieves  to  persons  convicted  of  crime.  In  the  new  Con- 
stitution were  incorporated  provisions  that  deprived  the  Governor  of 
some  of  the  prerogatives  which  had  belonged  to  his  colonial  predeces- 
sor. His  veto  power  was  shared  with  the  judiciary  through  the  Council 
of  Revision.  His  power  of  appointment  was  limited  by  the  Council  of 
Appointment  provided  for  by  the  Constitution.  By  act  of  the  Legis- 
lature in  1778,  the  Secretary  of  State  became  the  clerk  of  the  Council, 
which  consisted  of  the  Governor  and  one  senator  chosen  by  the  As- 
sembly from  each  "great  district."  Most  of  the  state  officers  and  a 
large  number  of  the  local  officers  were  chosen  by  this  Council.  At 
first  the  Governor  nominated  officials  and  the  senators  on  the  Council 
confirmed,  but  after  a  few  years  the  other  members  also  claimed  the 
right  to  nominate,  and  their  contention  was  eventually  upheld.  He 
had  neither  direct  participation  in  legislation  nor  judicial  power. 
Indeed  the  Governor  provided  for  in  the  Constitution  of  1777  was  so 
restricted  in  his  prerogatives  that  he  had  far  less  authority  than  the 
royal  governor.  These  curtailments  of  his  power  were  due  to  the 
fear  left  over  from  the  colonial  period  of  an  arbitrary  and  irrespon- 
sible executive.  The  Governor  was  largely  subordinated  to  the  Legis- 
lature and  became  little  more  than  an  executive  agent  to  carry  out  its 
will.     Apparently  the  people  did  not  appreciate  the  fact  that  the  Revo- 


90  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

lution  gave  them  a  Governor  of  their  own  choice  who  must  obey  their 
will.  They  scarcely  realized  that  sovereign  power  had  passed  into 
their  hands.  They  could  not  yet  see  how  a  governor  might  represent 
their  interests  more  directly  than  the  Assembly. 

The  Lieutenant  Governor,  elected  for  the  same  term  and  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  Governor,  presided  over  the  Senate,  and  in  case  of 
vacancy  succeeded  to  the  office  of  Governor.  He  was  also  a  member  of 
the  Court  of  Errors  and  Impeachment. 

The  only  other  administrative  officer  of  the  State  mentioned  in  the 
Constitution  was  the  Treasurer,  who  was  nominated  by  the  Assembly 
and  "appointed  by  act  of  the  Legislature."  The  Secretary  of  State, 
Auditor  General,  and  Surveyor  General  were  designated  by  the  Council 
of  Appointment.  The  Attorney  General,  appointed  earlier  by  the  Con- 
vention, took  his  oath  of  office  under  the  new  Constitution.  Military 
officers  were  named  by  the  Council  of  Appointment,  as  were 
the  judges.  County  sheriffs  and  coroners  were  appointed  annually  by 
the  Council  of  Appointment.  The  Legislature  was  empowered  to 
designate  how  loan  officers,  county  treasurers  and  clerks  of  the  boards 
of  supervisors  should  be  appointed.  Town  clerks,  supervisors,  as- 
sessors, constables  and  collectors  and  "all  other  officers"  hitherto  elected 
by  the  people  were  to  continue  to  be  so  chosen  under  the  direction  of 
the  Legislature. 

The  third  branch  of  government,  the  judiciary,  was  inadequately 
described  in  the  Constitution.  The  court  for  the  trial  of  impeachments 
and  correction  of  errors  was  the  only  one  actually  created.  The  Con- 
stitution seemed  to  take  it  for  granted  that  the  Supreme  Court,  the 
Court  of  Chancery,  the  probate  court,  the  county  courts,  and  the  ad- 
miralty court  were  continued  from  the  colonial  government,  and  there- 
fore only  incidentally  mentioned  them  in  limiting  the  ages  of  the 
judges,  the  offices  which  each  might  hold,  the  selection  of  clerks,  and 
the  appointment  of  attorneys,  solicitors  and  counsellors  at  law.  The 
new  Court  of  Errors  and  Impeachment  consisted  of  the  president  of  the 
Senate,  the  senators,  the  Chancellor  and  the  judges  of  the  Supreme 
Court  and  was  vested  with  final  appellate  jurisdiction. 

The  importance  of  the  judiciary  was  recognized  in  the  Constitution, 
however,  because  when  organized  as  the  Council  of  Revision  it  was 
clothed  with  power  to  veto  all  acts  of  the  Legislature.  Only  two- 
thirds  of  both  houses  of  the  Legislature  could  overrule  its  decisions. 
Indeed  it  may  be  said  that  in  a  sense  the  Council  was  also  a  law-mak- 
ing body.  To  preserve  the  dignity  and  impartiality  of  the  courts,  the 
Chancellor  and  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  were  eligible  to  hold  no 
other  office  except  that  of  delegate  to  the  Continental  Congress.   Judges 


THE    CONSTITUTION  OF    1777  91 

of  county  courts,  however,  might  become  either  senators  or  assembly- 
men. On  March  10,  1778,  by  legislative  act,  the  courts  were  authorized 
to  operate  under  the  Constitution. 

The  Convention  on  May  3,  1777,  elected  Robert  R.  Livingston 
Chancellor,  John  Jay  Chief  Justice,  and  Robert  Yates  and  John  Sloss 
Hobart  associate  judges  —  the  latter  being  chosen  after  John  Morin 
Scott  refused  the  honor.  Egbert  Benson  was  appointed  Attorney 
General.  On  May  5th  six  judges  as  an  "inferior  court"  and  also  a 
sheriff  were  chosen  for  Albany  county.  John  Jay  on  May  29th  re- 
ported a  plan  for  "holding  courts  of  oyer  and  terminer,  and  general 
jail  delivery  in  this  State"  and  it  was  approved  by  the  Council  of 
Safety.  Thus  the  judicial  system  of  the  State,  not  specifically  out- 
lined in  the  Constitution,  was  the  first  branch  of  the  State  Government 
to  be  put  in  operation.  On  August  22d  the  constables  of  the  State 
were  ordered  to  take  the  oath  of  office  before  a  county  judge  or  sheriff. 

The  right  to  vote  was  not  given  to  all  men  but  was  restricted  to 
several  grades  of  property  owners.  Only  those  males  white  and  black 
who  owned  property  worth  £100  and  free  from  incumbrances  and  were 
actual  residents  could  vote  for  Governor,  Lieutenant  Governor  and 
senators.  The  right  to  elect  assemblymen  was  widened  to  include  all 
owners  of  a  freehold  worth  £20  and  all  renters  paying  40  shillings^ 
yearly  providing  they  actually  paid  state  taxes  and  had  resided  within 
the  county  for  6  months  preceding  the  election,  and  also  the  freemen 
of  Albany  and  New  York  City,  who  were  not  required  to  meet  the 
property  qualifications.  Electors  might  be  required  to  take  an  oath 
of  allegiance.  The  requirements  for  voting  for  local  officials  such  as 
town  clerks,  supervisors,  constables  and  collectors  are  not  stated  but 
by  implication  included  all  the  adult  male  "inhabitants"  of  the  elec- 
tion district,  who  voted  by  "plurality  of  voices." 

No  bill  of  rights  was  included  in  the  Constitution,  but  certain 
guarantees  were  specified.  No  authority  was  to  be  exercised  over  the 
people  except  such  as  was  granted  by  them.  They  were  protected 
against  hasty  laws  inconsistent  with  the  public  good.  The  right  of  im- 
peachment was  provided  for  against  corrupt  political  conduct.  The  lib- 
erties assured  under  the  common  and  statute  law  of  England  were  con- 
tinued. Property  rights  and  land  grants  prior  to  1775  were  validated. 
Freedom  of  religious  profession  and  worship  was  granted  forever  to 


^  The  money  of  account  in  the  various  states  varied  in  value,  irrespective  of  later 
depreciation.  New  York  currency  was  rated  at  8  shillings  to  the  dollar  which 
makes  these  amounts  equal  to  $250,  $50  and  $5  respectively.  The  relative  value 
compared  with  money  of  today  is  indicated  by  the  army  pay  which  was,  in  Janu- 
ary 1776,  $50  a  month  to  colonels,  $26.67  to  captains,  $5  to  privates. 
4 


92  THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

all  the  people  of  the  State.  All  ministers  and  priests  were  barred 
from  civil  and  military  office.  Every  man  was  required  to  serve  in 
the  militia,  except  Quakers  who  paid  money  in  lieu  of  service.  Trial 
by  jury,  in  all  cases  where  it  had  been  used  in  the  colony,  was  declared 
forever  inviolate.  Aliens  who  were  willing  to  renounce  on  oath 
allegiance  to  all  foreign  authorities,  ecclesiastical  as  well  as  civil, 
might  at  the  discretion  of  the  Legislature  become  naturalized  citizens. 
Negro  slavery  was  not  abolished,  although  John  Jay  declared  that 
had  he  been  present  he  would  have  favored  such  action. 

The  Constitution  of  1777  was  sufficiently  flexible  to  meet  the  political 
needs  of  a  vigorously  expanding  State  until  1821.  It  was  a  worthy 
tribute  to  its  framers  that  during  those  44  years  only  minor  amend- 
ments were  made.  It  was  due  to  the  prudence  and  wisdom  of  the 
statesmen,  who  governed  the  State  under  it,  that  the  people  were  con- 
tented, happy  and  prosperous. 

Two  days  after  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  1777  it  was 
read  by  the  secretary  of  the  Convention,  while  standing  on  a  barrel  in 
front  of  the  old  courthouse  in  Kingston,  to  the  crowd  that  gathered  to 
hear  it.  Although  there  were  some  "earnest  prayers  and  ugly  protests" 
against  it,  chiefly  from  the  Tories,  still  in  general  it  was  received 
favorably  both  within  and  without  the  Slate.  "It  is  approved  even 
in  New  England,"  wrote  Jay,  "where  few  New  York  productions  have 
credit."  It  was  quite  generally  believed  to  be  one  of  the  best  of  the 
American  state  constitutions. 

Until  the  Governor  and  Legislature  were  elected,  it  seemed  wise  to 
create  a  "temporary  form  of  government,"  so  on  May  3,  1777,  the 
Convention  proceeded  to  appoint  a  Council  of  Safety  composed  of 
fifteen  men  with  John  Morin  Scott  as  chairman.  For  their  services 
the  members  received  20  shillings  a  day.  For  the  next  4  months 
beginning  with  May  14th  this  Council  helped  to  conduct  the  govern- 
ment of  the  State. 

Now  that  a  Constitution  had  been  adopted,  the  next  step  was  to  set 
up  the  governmental  machinery  for  which  it  provided.  The  committee 
of  six  named  for  that  purpose  on  April  20,  1777,  reported  on  May  8th 
the  county  courts,  sheriff's,  and  clerks  chosen  for  Dutchess,  Westchester, 
Ulster,  Tryon,  Orange,  Charlotte  and  Gloucester,  and  stated  that,  if 
approved  by  the  Council  of  Appointment,  they  should  remain  in  office 
as  provided  in  the  Constitution.  These  sheriff's  were  instructed  to  give 
public  notice  of  elections  to  be  held  for  a  Governor,  Lieutenant 
Governor  and  members  of  the  Senate  and  Assembly  in  time  for  the  first 
session  of  the  Legislature  at  Kingston  on  July  1,  1777.  Since  the 
southern  district  was  mostly  in  the  hands  of  the  British,  the  committee 


THE    CONSTITUTION  OF    1777  93 

recommended  that  the  Cdnvention  should  elect  senators  and  assembly- 
men for  that  part  i>f  the  State.  This  report  of  the  committee  was 
adopted,  ordered  printed  in  1000  copies  and  distributed.  Writs  of 
election  were  issued  to  the  sheriffs  on  May  19th  authorizing  elections 
to  be  held  in  June. 

The  people  of  New  York  now  made  preparations  to  hold  the  first 
election  under  the  new  Constitution.  The  sheriffs  in  the  eight  counties 
outside  of  the  southern  district  notified  the  voters  of  the  days  and 
places  of  election.  The  whole  State  buzzed  with  excitement.  Officers 
in  the  army,  who  were  serving  away  from  their  homes,  petitioned  the 
Council  of  Safety  to  have  commissioners  appointed  to  receive  their 
votes.  After  considerable  discussion,  the  commanders  of  the  various 
military  posts  in  the  State  were  instructed  to  permit  such  officers  and 
soldiers  under  them  as  had  a  right  to  vote  to  go  to  the  nearest  "place 
of  election,"  provided  the  safety  of  the  post  was  not  thereby  endan- 
gered. 

There  were  no  parties  in  the  modern  sense  and  hence  interest  in  the 
election  centered  about  prominent  military  and  civil  leaders.  General 
Philip  Schuyler,  General  George  Clinton,  General  John  Morin  Scott, 
and  John  Jay  were  the  popular  favorites  for  Governor.  Because  men 
were  too  busy  conducting  the  war  and  governing  the  new  State,  the 
election  was  not  preceded  by  a  campaign  of  speaking  but  nevertheless 
there  were  much  discussion  and  letter  writing.  John  Jay  sent  out  a 
communication  urging  the  election  of  Philip  Schuyler  for  Governor 
and  George  Clinton  for  Lieutenant  Governor,  and  they  secured  the 
conservative  vote.  On  June  20th  Jay  wrote  Schuyler  that  his  election 
seemed  certain.  General  John  Morin  Scott  was  the  favorite  candidate 
of  the  radicals.  Unfortunately  the  full  election  returns  have  not  been 
preserved.  A  fragment  from  six  counties,  Albany,  Cumberland, 
Dutchess,  Tryon,  Ulster  and  Westchester,  gives  the  following  vote  for 
Governor: 

Philip  Schuyler 1  012 

George  Clinton   865 

John  Morin  Scott 386 

John  Jay 367 

Philip  Livingston 5 

Robert  R.  Livingston 7 

The  vote  of  Orange  and  other  southern  counties,  however,  gave  the 
plurality  to  George  Clinton,  who  at  the  time  was  in  active  command 
of  the  state  militia. 


94  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

The  Council  of  Safety  on  July  9,  1777,  after  examining  the  returns 
of  the  election  held  in  June  and  reported  by  the  county  sheriffs,  de- 
clared that  George  Clinton  "was  "duly  elected  Governor  of  this  State" 
and  also  chosen  Lieutenant  Governor;  and  that  senators  were  elected 
in  the  western,  middle  and  eastern  districts.  Senators  and  "representa- 
tives" in  the  Assembly  were  chosen  at  the  same  time  as  the  Governor. 
A  good  picture  of  the  part  played  by  the  county  committee  and  sheriff 
in  the  election  is  given  in  the  Minutes  of  the  Albany  Committee  of 
Correspondence  for  June  6,  1777. 

Since  the  southern  district  was  in  the  hands  of  the  British,  thus  mak- 
ing it  difficult  to  elect  senators,  the  Council  of  Safety  "did  appoint" 
nine  senators  for  that  part  of  the  State.  In  like  manner  members  of 
Assembly  for  those  counties  of  the  southern  district  not  in  a  position 
to  hold  elections  were  appointed  by  the  Council  of  Safety. 

Governor  Clinton  was  congratulated  by  the  Council  of  Safety,  and 
requested  to  appear  as  soon  as  possible  to  accept  "one  of  the  two  offices 
to  which  he  was  chosen,  under  the  required  oath.  From  Fort  Mont- 
gomery the  Governor  wrote  the  Council  of  Safety  July  11th  that, 
since  he  would  accept  the  post  of  Governor,  the  office  of  Lieutenant 
Governor  was  vacant,  but  to  leave  no  doubt  he  formally  resigned  that 
office.  He  promised  to  go  to  Kingston,  as  soon  as  his  military  duties 
would  permit,  to  take  the  oath  of  office.  Yet  it  was  not  until  July  30, 
1777,  that  Clinton  took  the  oath  required  of  him  as  Governor.  A  short 
proclamation,  drawn  up  on  the  same  day,  informed  the  people  of  the 
State  that  the  first  Governor  chosen  by  their  own  votes  would  assume 
the  duties  of  his  office.  The  sheriff  of  Ulster  county  at  6  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  of  July  30th  published  the  proclamation  in  front  of  the 
courthouse  at  Kingston  to  a  crowd  of  militiamen  and  civilians,  and 
500  copies  were  ordered  printed  for  use  over  the  State. 

The  election  ordinance  had  announced  that  the  Legislature  would 
meet  on  July  1,  1777,  but  the  late  returns  of  the  votes  made  that  im- 
possible. Then  on  July  16th  the  Council  of  Safety  had  called  the 
Legislature  to  convene  on  August  1st.  "Public  emergencies"  induced 
Governor  Clinton  to  postpone  the  time  of  meeting  to  August  20th, 
and  finally  to  September  1st.  On  that  date  some  of  the  members  met, 
but  it  was  not  until  September  10th  that  the  Assembly  had  enough 
members  to  organize  by  electing  Walter  Livingston  speaker  and  John 
McKesson  clerk. 

Owing  to  these  conditions,  the  Council  of  Safety  conducted  public 
affairs  alone  from  May  14th  to  July  30th,  and  from  July  30th  to 
September  10th  in  cooperation  with  Governor  Clinton.  One  of  the 
last  acts  of  the  Council  of  Safety  was  the  authorization  of  "a  great 


THE    CONSTITUTION  OF    1777  95 

seal  for  the  State,"  the  Governor's  private  seal  to  be  used  meanwhile. 
Thus  the  temporary,  extra-legal,  revolutionary  government  of  New 
York,  after  more  than  2  years  of  faithful  service  now  gave  way  to  the 
government  established  under  the  Constitution.  In  the  courthouse  at 
Kingston,  on  the  afternoon  of  September  10,  1777,  the  two  houses  of 
the  first  Legislature  met  to  hear  Governor  Clinton's  "speech."  He 
explained  that  ''the  invasion  of  the  State  on  the  northern  and  western 
frontiers"  and  the  advance  of  General  Howe  up  the  Hudson  had 
made  it  necessary  to  postpone  the  meeting  of  the  Legislature. 
He  praised  the  ability  and  integrity  of  the  Council  of  Safety. 
He  lauded  the  ''bravery  of  the  garrison  at  Fort  Schuyler" 
and  the  "intrepidity  of  the  late  gallant  General  Herkimer  and 
the  militia  of  Tryon  county"  for  having  entirely  frustrated  the 
"designs  of  the  enemy"  at  Oriskany;  mentioned  the  "complete  victory 
gained  near  Bennington;"  and  stated  that  the  Highlands  forts  were 
strong  enough  to  check  General  Howe's  ascent  of  the  Hudson.  So 
favorable  was  the  military  situation  that  he  expected  "a  happy  issue 
to  this  campaign."  He  asked  the  Legislature  to  revise  the  militia  law, 
to  improve  the  finances,  to  prescribe  the  methods  of  election  and  to 
observe  scrupulously  the  rights  of  the  other  coordinate  branches  of 
government. 

Three  days  later  the  Assembly  in  an  address  to  the  Governor  con- 
gratulated him  on  his  election,  expressed  the  hope  that  the  victories 
at  Oriskany  and  Bennington  would  convince  "our  haughty  foes" 
that  "to  destroy  the  spirit  of  liberty"  they  must  first  destroy  the 
people,  promised  to  enact  the  laws  recommended  and  declared  its 
intention  to  respect  the  Governor's  prerogatives  and  to  maintain  its 
own.  The  Senate's  address,  presented  on  September  22d,  covered 
substantially  the  same  subjects. 

Both  houses  of  the  Legislature  now  drew  up  rules  of  procedure 
and  appointed  the  committees  necessary  to  conduct  business.  The 
Rev.  Doctor  Rogers  was  requested  "to  perform  prayers"  every  morn- 
ing and  to  preach  on  Sundays,  On  September  16th,  after  consider- 
able wrangling,  the  Assembly  elected  four  senators — John  Morin 
Scott,  Jesse  Woodhull,  Abraham  Yates,  and  Alexander  Webster — to 
act  with  Governor  Clinton  as  a  Council  of  Appointment.  This 
important  body,  changed  in  its  personnel  from  time  to  time,  ap- 
pointed the  military  officers  of  the  State  as  well  as  all  the  civil 
officials  both  State  and  local  not  otherwise  provided  for  in  the 
Constitution. 

It  was  intended,  no  doubt,  that  the  new  government  created  by 
the    Constitution    would    displace    the    Congress,    Council    of    Safety, 


96  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

and  local  committees,  but  the  committees  called  into  existence  by 
the  Revolution  did  not  disappear.  Indeed  the  Legislature  voted 
to  continue  the  county  and  local  committees,  subjecting  them,  how- 
ever, to  its  authority.  Notwithstanding  the  veto  of  this  bill  by  the 
Council  of  Revision,  these  useful  bodies  continued  to  be  more  or 
less  active  throughout  the  Revolution. 

To  cooperate  with  the  other  states  in  the  Continental  Congress,  five 
delegates  were  chosen  on  October  3,  1777,  in  a  joint  session  after  sepa- 
rate nominations  in  each  house. 

The  framers  of  the  State  Government  had  purposely  magnified 
the  power  of  the  Legislature  and  minimized  that  of  the  Governor. 
More  and  more  during  this  trying  period  of  war  the  burden  of  con- 
ducting the  affairs  of  the  State  fell  on  the  shoulders  of  Governor 
Clinton.  The  perilous  situation  called  for  a  strong,  militant  leader. 
Fortunately  Governor  George  Clinton  was  an  able  man  trained  both 
in  the  legislative  hall  and  on  the  field  of  war.  The  confidence  of 
the  people  in  his  wisdom  and  integrity  as  Governor  is  shown  by 
the  fact  that  they  continued  him  in  office  for  a  period  of  18  years 
without  a  change.  His  majority  for  his  second  term  was  3264. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Governor  Clinton  by  his  strength  and 
ability  protected  the  dignity  of  the  executive  office  and  made  it  a 
powerful  coordinate  branch  of  the  State  Government.  A  weaker 
executive  might  have  permitted  serious  inroads  on  the  Governor's 
prerogative.  Pierre  Van  Cortlandt  served  as  Lieutenant  Governor 
for  the  same  length  of  time. 

John  Morin  Scott  was  appointed  Secretary  of  State  in  1778  and 
served  continuously  to  1789.  Comfort  Sands  was  chosen  Auditor 
General  by  a  resolution  of  the  Provincial  Convention  in  1776  and 
served  throughout  the  war  until  1782,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Peter 
T.  Curtenius  as  State  Auditor.  The  Convention  in  1776  appointed 
Peter  Van  Brugh  Livingston  Treasurer  and  he  retained  that  oliice  until 
April  1,  1778,  when  Gerard  Bancker  was  appointed,  who  served  till 
1798.  Egbert  Benson,  named  Attorney  General  under  the  Convention 
on  May  3,  1777,  served  till  1788.  The  office  of  Surveyor  General 
was  created  by  an  act  of  March  20,  1781,  and  to  fill  it  the  Council 
of  Appointment  selected  Philip  Schuyler,  who  held  it  until  1784. 

This  first  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New  York,  which  sat  for 
about  41/9  months  during  the  year  1777-78,  cooperated  in  every 
possible  way  with  the  Continental  Congress  and  the  Governor  in 
prosecuting  the  war.  On  October  7,  1777,  before  any  laws  had  been 
passed,  both  houses  adjourned  quite  abruptly  in  consequence  of  the 
approach  of  the  British  army  under  Burgoyne  from  the  north  and 


THE    CONSTITUTION  OF    1777  97 

the  capture  of  the  forts  in  the  Highlands  by  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  Some 
of  the  members  of  the  Legislature  held  military  commissions,  and 
others  rushed  home  to  care  for  their  families.  The  senators  and 
assemblymen  who  remained  at  Kingston  on  the  day  of  adjournment, 
formed  themselves  into  a  Convention,  created  a  new  Council  of  Safety 
of  seven  members,  vested  it  with  all  the  powers  of  the  old  Council,  and 
authorized  it  to  meet  when  the  Convention  was  not  in  session.  The 
Governor,  or  in  his  absence,  the  president  of  the  Senate,  was  to  pre- 
side over  the  Council  and  had  a  casting  vote.  This  Council  of  Safety, 
which  Governor  Clinton  called  "the  Legislature,"  continued  to  act 
until  January  7,  1778,  when  the  Convention  again  assembled  with 
nine  senators  and  eighteen  assemblymen  present.  The  Council  dur- 
ing the  three  months  of  its  existence  devoted  all  its  energy  to  two 
problems — the  active  conduct  of  the  war„  and  the  suppression  of 
the  Loyalists.  The  Convention  sat  for  1  week  only,  when  on  Janu- 
ary 15,  1778,  the  Legislature  resumed  its  work,  this  time  at  Pough- 
keepsie. 

The  Convention  and  Council  of  Safety  were,  to  say  the  least,  irregu- 
lar bodies  not  recognized  in  the  Constitution  of  1777.  The  fact  that 
the  difficulties  confronting  the  patriot  statesmen  at  that  period  made 
it  necessary  to  resort  to  these  extraordinary  political  agencies,  which 
had  characterized  the  earlier  years  of  the  Revolution,  shows  clearly 
how  much  resourcefulness  and  inventiveness  were  necessary  to  keep 
the  young  State  going  during  the  greatest  crisis  of  the  Revolution. 
Since  members  of  the  Legislature  themselves  composed  these  smaller 
bodies,  there  was  no  criticism  of  the  wisdom  of  the  action.  To 
legalize  their  legislative  and  administrative  acts,  the  Legislature  at 
its  sitting  on  June  9,  1778,  voted  to  validate  the  proceedings  of  the 
Convention  and  Council  of  Safety.  These  were  the  last  extra-legal 
bodies  to  govern  New  York  during  the  Revolution.  From  April  3, 
1775,  when  the  colonial  Assembly  last  met  until  February  6,  1778, 
when  the  first  act  of  the  first  State  Legislature  was  passed,  all  legis- 
lation had  been  by  revolutionary  congresses,  councils  and  committees. 
After  1778,  however,  the  political  instruments  created  by  the  Con- 
stitution   directed    the    legislation    and    administration    of    the    State. 

Of  the  forty-seven  acts  passed  by  the  first  Legislature  in  the  second 
part  of  its  session,  the  first  was  the  approval  on  February  6th  of 
the  proposed  "Articles  of  Confederation  and  perpetual  union  between 
the  United  States  of  America,"  which  Governor  Clinton  had  recom- 
mended in  his  message.  By  this  act  New  York  State,  after  an  exist- 
ence for  nearly  2  years  as  an  independent  state,  voluntarily  became 
a  member  of  "The  United  States  of  America."     The  legislature  took 


98 


THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 


this  important  step  without  submitting  the  question  to  a  direct  vote 
of  the  people.  Any  two  of  New  York's  delegates  were  authorized  to 
ratify  the  constitution  of  the  Confederation  which  was  to  become 
binding  on  New  York  only  when  confirmed  by  all  the  states.  By 
this  "league  of  friendship"  New  York  in  common  with  the  other 
members  agreed  not  to  make  any  treaty  with  foreign  states,  not  to 
lay  duties,  not  to  keep  a  navy  or  armed  forces  except  militia  and 
not  to  make  war  or  peace.  Expenses  of  the  national  government 
were  to  be  paid  by  the  states  in  proportion  to  the  value  of  their  land. 


Massacre  of  Jane  McCrea,  July   1777 
Painting   by   F.   C.   Yohn 

{Courtesy  Glens  Falls  Insurance  Co.) 

Disputes  between  the  states  were  to  be  settled  by  the  general  Con- 
gress. The  Declaration  of  Independence  opened  the  way  for  a  new 
nation  and  the  Articles  of  Confederation  created  it.  On  October  23, 
1779,  the  other  states  having  signified  their  adhesion  to  the  con- 
federation, New  York  officially  ratified  the  articles.  To  meet  the 
expenses  of  the  war,  the  Legislature  on  February  19,  1780,  em- 
powered its  delegates  to  adjust  the  western  boundaries  by  ceding 
certain  public  lands  to  the  United  States  for  the  benefit  of  all  the 
states. 

From  1777  to  1783,  when  the  Revolutionary  War  came  to  an  end, 
the   Legislature   sat   annually.      The   efforts   of   the   civil   government 


THE    CONSTITUTION  OF    1777  99 

of  the  State  were  quite  as  important  as  the  exertions  of  the  military 
authorities  in  prosecuting-  the  war  to  a  successful  issue.  The  Gov- 
ernor, Legislature  and  Judiciary  cooperated  in  every  possible  way 
with  the  militarv^  leaders.  During  these  6  years  264  laws  were 
enacted  dealing  with  state  and  local  government,  public  health, 
relief  of  the  poor,  the  arrest  and  punishment  of  traitors,  finance 
and  taxation,  military  affairs  and  supplies,  and  trade  and  commerce. 

INIodel  oaths  were  formulated  for  the  various  state  and  local 
officers,  which  after  being  subscribed  to,  were  deposited  in  the  office 
of  the  Secretary  of  State  and  with  the  county  clerks.  An  oath  of 
allegiance  was  required  of  all  "equivocal  characters."  The  conduct 
of  the  war  necessitated  the  appointment  of  "state  agents"  to  purchase 
supplies  and  the  enactment  of  laws  to  direct  their  actions;  and  of 
boards  such  as  Commissioners  of  Forfeiture  and  Sequestration,  Com- 
missioners of  the  Loan  Office,  and  Commissioners  of  Prisoners.  The 
presence  of  large  numbers  of  Loyalists  led  to  the  creation  of  com- 
mittees to  detect  conspiracies,  and  the  passage  of  numerous  laws  about, 
forfeited  estates,  and  treason.  Much  legislation  was  necessary  to  pre- 
scribe the  jurisdiction  of  the  courts,  to  regulate  the  terms  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  to  fix  the  fees,  to  provide  for  the  trials  of  felons  and 
to  supervise  the  county  courts.  The  salaries  of  state  officers  were  fixed 
by  law. 

The  perfection  of  the  State  Government  received  much  attention. 
The  "great  seal,"  the  "privy  seal,"  seals  for  the  courts,  and  the  state 
coat  of  arms  were  adopted. 

Since  "the  purity  and  freedom  of  elections"  were  held  to  be 
essential  to  independence  and  liberty,  the  act  of  March  27,  1778, 
regulated  elections  in  great  detail.  The  Constitution  did  not  fix  the 
date  of  election  of  state  officers,  consequently  the  "last  Tuesday  in 
April"  was  made  the  uniform  time  in  all  counties.  Precautions  were 
taken  to  secure  trustworthy  inspectors  and  poll  clerks,  and  their 
duties  were  clearly  defined.  Persons  suspected  of  lacking  the  con- 
stitutional qualifications  for  voters  were  required  to  take  an  oath 
or  affirmation  that  they  either  owned  the  necessary  property  or  paid 
the  rent  required,  and  that  they  had  not  voted  elsewhere.  The  "free- 
men" of  Albany  and  New  York  City,  however,  were  exempt  from 
this  oath.  Bribery  in  elections  was  made  a  misdemeanor  punishable 
by  a  fine  of  £500  and  disqualification  for  voting  "forever."  The 
official  term  of  tthe  Governor  was  to  begin  on  the  first  Monday  in 
July  after  the  election,  when  the  Legislature  also  was  to  meet  at  a 
place  designated  by  the  Governor.     When  the  eastern  district  allowed 


100  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

election  day  to  pass  without  choosing  state  and  local  officers,  a  special 
act  set  another  date. 

The  police  laws  in  time  of  war  naturally  covered  a  multitude  of 
topics  such  as  counterfeiting,  illicit  trade  with  the  enemy,  the  estab- 
lishment of  night  watches  in  the  counties,  spies  and  suspected  per- 
sons, the  removal  of  the  "disaffected,"  riots,  robberies  and  trespasses. 
Regulations  covered  the  inspection  of  potash,  "hawkers  and  ped- 
dlars,"  lotteries  and  inns  and  taverns.  The  poor  laws  threw  the 
burden  for  protecting  the  destitute  on  the  counties,  but  many  special 
acts  were  passed  for  the  relief  of  private  individuals  who  suffered 
from  the  ravages  of  war.  The  public  health  was  protected  by  laws 
to  prevent  the  spread  of  smallpox  and  "infectious  distempers."  The 
highways  were  improved,  particularly  in  those  counties  where  the 
military  operations  were  most  active. 

In  New  York  from  1776  to  1783  there  were  two  civil  govern- 
ments— one  Bjitish  in  New  York  City  and  the  surrounding  country; 
the  other  American  in  the  rest  of  the  State.  Of  course,  neither  one 
recognized  the  legality  of  the  other.  When  the  British  took  posses- 
sion of  New  York  City  the  government  by  mayor  and  council  was 
replaced  by  a  military  establishment.  A  commandant  was  the  real 
head  of  the  city.  The  mayoralty  office  was  not  exactly  abolished, 
for  the  mayor  was  allowed  to  continue  but  without  authority.  No 
taxes  were  levied  on  the  people,  and  the  money  needed  to  run  the 
city  came  from  wharf  dues  and  tavern  licenses.  The  church  vestry  of 
nineteen  men  raised  money  for  philanthropy,  secured  work  for  the  poor 
and  practically  ruled  the  city  in  civil  matters.  Rents  were  up  400  per 
cent  because  of  the  large  number  of  soldiers  and  the  influx  of  the  Loy- 
alists, and  food  cost  800  per  cent  more.  The  churches  of  the  patriots 
were  used  as  barracks  and  prisons,  stables  and  hospitals,  storehouses 
and  riding  schools.  King's  College  continued  in  session  intermit- 
tently, three  newpapers  were  printed,  the  theaters  were  open,  and 
cricket  and  bull-baiting  amused  the  people.  In  1781  Prince  William 
Henry,  the  third  son  of  George  III,  visited  New  York  City.  The 
royal  birthdays  were  celebrated  with  enthusiasm.  In  the  anticipa- 
tion of  the  abolition  of  the  British  government  in  New  York  City, 
the  Legislature  in  October  23,  1779,  provided  a  temporary  govern- 
ment of  the  southern  district.  It  was  called  a  "council"  and  con- 
sisted of  the  administrative  officers  of  the  State,  the  members  of  the 
Legislature,  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  the  judges  of  the 
counties  affected.  The  council  was  clothed  with  wide  powers  and 
was  to  serve  until  the  Legislature  could  meet  following  the  departure 
of  the  enemy.     The  Governor  with  any  six  members  of  the  council 


THE    CONSTITUTION  OF    1777  101 

might  act.  It  liad  a  president,  who  was  the  Governor,  a  secretary  and 
doorkeeper,  and  its  expenses  ran  into  many  hundreds  of  pounds. 
On  March  27,  1783,  the  council  was  authorized  to  make  a  "con- 
vention" with  the  British  commander  in  chief  for  the  evacuation 
of  the  posts  in  the  southern  and  western  parts  of  the  State  and  to 
occupy  the  same  until  further  orders  were  received  from  the  Legis- 
lature.    The  council  was  still  acting  in  the  spring  of  1784. 

Care  was  also  taken  to  promote  the  orderliness  and  efl&ciency  of 
local  government.  In  general  the  local  officials  of  the  colonial  days 
were  continued.  One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  Legislature  in  1778 
was  to  discharge  the  old  assessors  arid  to  order  the  "inhabitants"  to 
meet  in  the  various  political  subdivisions  to  elect  "by  plurality  of 
vote"  from  three  to  nine  assessors,  who  should  serve  "until  the  annual 
day  of  town  meeting"  1779.  Thereafter  they  were  to  be  elected 
annually.  They  were  empowered  to  assess  the  value  of  all  prop- 
erty in  their  districts.  The  persons  elected  assessors  were  forced 
to  serve  under  penalty  of  £25,  and  they  had  to  take  an  oath  to  assess 
honestly  and  impartially.  This  act  greatly  increased  the  number  of 
assessors.  In  1780  the  collectors  elected  from  the  freeholders 
in  Albany,  Ulster,  and  Orange  counties  were  increased  by 
any  number  up  to  four.  The  old  charter  of  the  city  of  Albany  was 
continued  in  1778  but  the  city  officials  were  required  to  take  an  oath 
of  allegiance  to  the  State.  The  manor  of  Rensselaerwyck  was  divided 
into  two  districts  in  1779  and  the  next  year  Mohawk  district  in  Tryon, 
county  became  two  districts.  This  was  an  example  of  the  numerous 
internal  boundary  lines  that  had  to  be  adjusted  by  legislative  de- 
cision. Efforts  were  made  to  determine  the  boundaries  of  the  State 
between  New  York  and  Vermont,  New  York  and  Massachusetts,  and 
to  the  westward. 

Justice  of  the  peace  and  city  officials,  by  the  law  of  February  26, 
1780,  were  empowered  to  try  cases  involving  £100  or  less,  but  2 
years  later  this  sum  was  reduced  to  £10. 

Under  the  brutalizing  influence  of  a  bitter  war  little  thought  was 
given  to  the  improvement  of  the  criminal  law,  which  until  1796 
remained  almost  as  severe  as  in  England.  The  death  penalty  was 
limited,  however,  to  treason,  murder,  and  theft  from  a  church.  Whip- 
ping was  not  abolished  until  some  years  after  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. Punishments  were  harsh  and  prisons  were  foul  places.  In 
1780  "murders,  burglaries,  thefts  and  robberies"  were  so  numerous 
that  a  law  was  passed  "for  the  more  speedy  trial  of  felonies  without 
benefit  of  clergy." 


102  THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

The  names  of  districts,  towns  and  counties  were  changed.  King's 
College  became  Columbia  by  act  of  the  Legislature.  The  erection 
of  bridges,  jails  and  court  houses  was  authorized.  The  State  offered 
a  reward  for  killing  wolves  and  panthers,  and  instructed  the  county 
treasurers  to  pay  the  rewards  on  orders  of  the  supervisors.  In  1782 
the  county  sheriffs  were  ordered  to  take  a  census  of  the  white  in- 
habitants by  using  the  local  constables  for  that  purpose. 

One  of  the  most  important  changes  brought  about  by  the  Revolu- 
tion was  connected  with  land  holdin,g.  In  colonial  days  the  land 
was  largely  in  the  hands  of  great  proprietors.  Many  of  these  land- 
lords were  Loyalists  and  in  consequence  their  property  was  con- 
fiscated, cut  up  into  small  plots  of  100  acres  and  upwards,  and  sold 
in  many  instances  to  their  tenants  or  other  farmers.  Thus  large 
numbers  of  landless  men  in  the  State  became  property  owners  and 
voters.  Moreover  the  law  of  July  12,  1782,  abolished  the  system  of 
entails  and  permitted  tenants  to  hold  land  in  fee  simple,  and  provided 
in  the  absence  of  a  will  for  the  descent  of  the  property  of  a  deceased 
person  equally  to  all  direct  heirs.  Unappropriated  lands  of  the 
State,  taken  over  from  the  crown,  were  offered  as  bounties  in  1781  to 
officers  and  privates  who  volunteered  to  serve  in  the  Continental 
Army.  By  special  acts  private  individuals  were  given  permission  to 
locate  on  waste  public  lands.  •  In  these  various  ways  there  emerged 
through  the  Revolution  a  new  class  of  land  owners  who  became  sub- 
stantial citizens  of  the  new  State. 

Much  of  the  legislation  was  concerned  with  the  recruiting  of  troops, 
military  affairs  and  army  supplies,  which  will  be  mentioned  in 
Chapter  VIII  and  hence  need  not  be  discussed  here.  Suffice  it  to 
say  that  during  a  prolonged  period  of  war  the  laws  dealing  with 
military  matters  far  outnumbered  those  on  any  other  subject.  Of 
equal  importance  and  very  numerous  were  the  laws  relating  to 
finance.  One  of  the  earliest  acts  of  the  Legislature  in  1778  was  a 
tax  levied  on  all  real  and  personal  property  in  the  State  and  on 
liquors.  Nine  such  levies  were  made  from  1778  to  1783  and  indi- 
cate the  sacrifices  the  property  owners  of  the  State  had  to  make  to 
win  the  war.  Other  laws  dealt  with  paper  currency,  certificates, 
loans,  lotteries,  the  sale  of  lands,  interest  and  depreciation.  In 
1782  the  Bank  of  North  America  created  by  the  United  States  was 
incorporated  in  the  State  of  New  York  and  the  organization  of  all 
other  banks  was  prohibited.  These  financial  measures  will  be  treated 
in  Chapter  VI.  A  number  of  acts  were  passed  to  regulate  the 
prices  of  foods,  wages,  the  exportation  of  flour,  and  to  prevent 
monopolies. 


THE    CONSTITUTION  OF    1777  103 

With  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution,  the  royal  government  gradu- 
ally ceased  to  function.  In  the  emergency  a  revolutionary  govern- 
ment by  committees,  conventions,  congresses  and  councils  was  set 
up  by  the  people  to  govern  the  State,  which  helped  wage  war  for 
self-government  for  more  than  2  years.  During  that  period  New 
York  joined  the  other  colonies  in  separating  from  the  British  Empire, 
and,  as  a  free  State,  then  proceeded,  to  draw  up  its  first  Constitution, 
which  was  adopted  on  April  20,  1777,  and  under  it  to  create  the  new 
machinery  of  government,  which  directed  affairs  during  the  remain- 
ing six  years  of  the  war.  All  the  governmental  agencies  in  the  old 
town,  county  and  colonial  government  that  could  be  utilized  in 
the  new  political  order  were  retained,  and  proved  to  be  stabilizing 
influences.  To  help  wage  a  successful  war,  to  establish  a  new  politi- 
cal system,  to  finance  these  operations,  and  at  the  same  time  to  solve 
a  thousand  vexing  and  difficult  problems  incident  to  the  transition 
from  the  status  of  a  dependent  colony  to  that  of  an  independent 
state  cooperating  with  other  sister  states  in  a  new  nation  called  the 
United  States  of  America,  required  political  ability,  military  valor, 
wisdom,  faith,  vision  and  the  capacity  for  self-sacrifice.  These  char- 
acteristics the  fathers  of  the  State  undoubtedly  possessed,  and  out 
of  them  developed  the  Empire  State. 


VI 

THE  STRUGGLE  TO  FINANCE  THE  REVOLUTION 

The  more  spectacular  military  aspects  of  the  Revolution  have  been 
stressed  to  the  exclusion  of  less  dramatic  but  equally  important  phases. 
To  finance  the  war  was  a  task  as  difficult  as  to  win  battles,  yet  this 
side  of  the  story  has  been  largely  neglected.  No  history  of  New  York's 
effort  to  meet  the  financial  problems  has  been  written.  In  this  chap- 
ter it  is  intended  to  set  forth  briefly  some  of  the  difficulties  confront- 
ing the  people  of  New  York  in  paying  their  share  of  war  expenses 
and  to  show  how  they  were  met.  The  picture  is  one  of  financial 
chaos,  desperate  endeavors  to  supply  current  funds  and  credit,  and 
confusing  and  hazardous  expedients.  An  army  had  to  be  organized; 
a  navy  built;  fortifications  erected;  and  ammunition,  clothing, 
weapons,  cannon,  and  numerous  other  military  supplies  purchased. 
War  is  tremendously  expensive  —  a  fact  learned  by  New  York 
in  the  colonial  wars  when  the  British  treasury  lightened  the 
burden.  Now  that  the  whole  cost  of  an  expensive  war  had  to  be 
met  at  home,  there  were  four  sources  from  which  the  neces- 
sary money  could  be  secured:  (1)  the  colonial  treasury;  (2)  taxation 
of  and  loans  from  the  people;  (3)  excise  and  duties;  and  (4)  the 
Continental  Congress.  In  the  various  resolutions  drawn  up  by  the 
committees  of  the  people  they  pledged  their  "lives  and  fortunes"  to 
defend  the  American  cause.  The  sacrifice  of  wealth  demanded  by  the 
war  involved  more  individuals  than  the  risk  of  life  in  military  service, 
and  embraced  all  the  people  of  the  State  who  owned  property. 

One  of  the  earliest  acts  of  the  Provincial  Congress  was  the  promise 
on  May  24,  1775,  to  repay  all  monies  advanced  for  the  public  cause. 

When  the  old  colonial  government  was  gradually  superseded  in 
1774  and  1775  by  an  extra-legal  government  of  committees  and  con- 
gresses chosen  by  the  people,  these  bodies  were  met  immediately  by  the 
problem  of  financing  both  the  political  activities  and  the  military 
operations  which  began  with  the  plans  to  seize  Fort  Ticonderoga  and 
Crown  Point  shortly  after  the  colonists  had  been  electrified  by  the  news 
of  Lexington  and  Concord. 

The  situation  was  serious  but  not  hopeless.  Although  the  administra- 
tion of  the  colony  wds  changed  by  the  election  of  revolutionary  com- 
mittees and  a  congress,  yet  much  of  the  colonial  government  still 
operated.  This  was  particularly  true  of  the  machinery  in  control  of 
finances.    The  county  treasurers,  boards  of  supervisors,  assessors  and 

[105] 


106  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

collectors  continued  to  hold  office  and  thus  supplied  trained  officers 
for  collecting  taxes.  The  old  colonial  treasury  was  placed  under  the 
control  of  the  Provincial  Congress  but  it  gradually  ceased  to  function. 

At  the  same  time  it  was  felt  that  some  financial  agency  should  be 
created  which  would  be  more  directly  responsible  to  the  supreme  revo- 
lutionary authority  in  the.  province.  Consequently,  on  July  8,  1775, 
only  a  little  over  a  fortnight  after  convening,  the  Provincial  Congress 
selected  Peter  Van  Brugh  Livingston,  its  first  president,  as  a  special 
treasurer  to  handle  all  funds  for  the  general  defense.  Thus  it  will  be 
seen  that  for  something  over  a  year  there  were  two  treasurers  in  New 
York  —  the  colonial  treasurer  continuing  from  colonial  days  and  the 
revolutionary  treasurer  appointed  for  the  emergency.  So  arduous  were 
the  duties  of  Peter  Van  Brugh  Livingston  that  on  August  28,  1775, 
Gerard  Bancker  was  chosen  as  his  assistant.  Some  idea  of  the  im- 
portance of  the  ofiice  may  be  obtained  from  the  fact  that  the  receipts 
for  the  first  16  months  of  the  war  approximated  $620,000,  and  most 
of  it  was  disbursed  for  state  service.  At  the  same  time  for  the  year 
following  August  23,  1775,  the  treasurer  received  from  the  Con- 
tinental Congress  about  $387,000  and  used  it  for  national  service.  On 
April  22,  1776,  "the  excise"  was  collected  from  seventy-five  persons,  of 
whom  a  dozen  were  women.  The  names  of  about  280  "New  York 
liquor  sellers"  for  that  year  are  preserved. 

In  colonial  days  the  money  needed  to  run  the  government  had  been 
raised  largely  from  duties  on  exports  and  imports,  on  slaves,  on  dis- 
tilled liquors,  on  goods  sold  at  public  sales,  licenses  etc.  Whenever 
some  emergency,  like  war,  necessitated  a  larger  sum,  it  was  raised  by 
a  tax  on  land  and  personal  property.  This  tax  was  apportioned  among 
the  counties.  The  assessors  decided  the  amount  of  tax  each  person 
should  pay.  The  collectors  gathered  in  the  money  and  paid  it  over  to 
the  county  treasurer.  In  turn  the  county  treasurers  sent  the  funds  col- 
lected to  the  treasurer  of  the  colony.  The  Assembly  then  made  its 
appropriations. 

The  colonial  records  seem  to  indicate  that  after  the  French  and 
Indian  War,  no  taxes  were  levied  directly  on  land  and  personal  prop- 
erty by  the  colonial  legislature  for  the  support  of  the  colonial  govern- 
ment. According  to  Governor  Tryon  the  cost  of  the  government  of 
New  York  in  1773  was  £17,567,  of  which  £5600  came  from  interest  on 
loans  to  the  people,  £6000  from  duties  and  revenues,  and  the  balance 
from  fines,  fees,  licenses,  and  the  excise.  In  1762  the  counties  and 
cities  of  New  York  still  owed  in  back  taxes  £7716,  New  York  City  and 
Albany  being  the  most  delinquent.  Indeed  as  late  as  1772  the  govern- 
ment was  still  attempting  to  collect  these  old  taxes  from  New  York 


108  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

City.  Although  apparently  free  from  direct  taxes  on  lands  and  per- 
sonal property  by  the  colonial  government  after  1762,  the  people  of 
the  colony  seem  to  have  been  called  upon  to  pay  such  taxes  when 
levied  by  the  county  authorities,  for  the  Assembly  enacted  laws 
authorizing  Albany,  New  York,  Orange,  Ulster  and  Westchester  coun- 
ties to  adopt  more  effective  and  equitable  methods  of  assessment  and 
collection.  Freedom  from  general  direct  colonial  taxes  for  a  decade 
before  the  Revolution  may  explain  in  part  the  tumult  caused  by  the 
attempt  of  the  British  parliament  to  tax  a  people  accustomed  only 
to  local  taxes. 

When  the  Revolution  became  armed  resistance  in  1775  and  immedi- 
ately entailed  a  heavy  expense,  Abraham  Lott  was  treasurer  of  the 
colony.^  His  office  was  not  abolished,  as  has  been  seen,  and  he  was 
recognized  as  an  official  until  the  fall  of  1776.  As  contractor  for 
victualling  British  ships,  the  Provincial  Congress  permitted  him  to 
supply  bread,  meat,  flour,  salt,  butter  and  rum  to  English  vessels  in 
the  harbor,  such  as  the  "Asia,"  "King's  Fisher,"  and  "Nautilus,"  until 
the  close  of  February,  1776,  when  that  business  was  stopped.  He  was 
required  to  send  lists  of  all  such  supplies  to  the  Provincial  Congress, 
however,  together  with  an  account  of  the  money  received. 

Lott  was  called  upon  to  loan  funds  to  the  Provincial  Congress  "for 
the  present  emergency"  and  all  the  members  of  that  body  voted  on 
May  31,  1775,  "to  be  responsible."  For  example,  on  June  2,  1775,  on 
order  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  one  Clarkson  asked  Abraham  Lott  to 
lend  him  £200,  which  was  done  and  that  sum  was  paid  to  Dirck  Swart 
for  public  services.  The  same  day  Colonel  Ten  Broeck  and  Dirck 
Swart  obtained  from  Lott  "an  order  on  the  loan  offices  of  the  city  and 
county  of  Albany"  for  £700  to  be  used  "for  the  public  exigencies  of 
the  colony."  Ten  Broeck  gave  his  note  to  Lott  and  the  Provincial 
Congress  voted  to  assume  the  obligation.  On  July  12,  1775,  Egbert 
Dumond  asked  Lott  for  an  order  on  the  loan  offices  of  Ulster  county  to 
send  flour  to  Albany.  The  notes  of  Clarkson  and  Ten  Broeck  to  Lott 
were  presented  to  the  Provincial  Congress  on  November  4th.  For 
money  thus  advanced  receipts  and  even  notes  were  given.  With  the 
intention  of  using  the  colonial  funds  for  military  purposes,  the 
Provincial  Congress  on  February  21,  1776^  appointed  a  committee  of 
four  to  examine  the  accounts  of  the  colonial  treasurer  and  report  on 
the  funds  in  his  hands.  At  that  time,  apparently,  there  was  no  thought 
either  of  abolishing  that  office  or  of  transferring  the  monies  to  the  spe- 
cial treasurer  chosen  by  the  Provincial  Congress.  When  the  interest 
and  10  per  cent  of  the  principal  on  a  popular  loan  of  £120,000  made 


Appointed  in  1767. 


FINANCING    THE    REVOLUTION 


109 


in  1771  fell  due  in  April  1776,  the  Provincial  Congress  on  March 
9th  ordered  that,  since  the  war  made  it  difficult  for  the  people  to  make 
their  payments,  the  portion  of  the  principal  due  might  be  suspended 
for  1  year.  The  interest  paid  in  went  to  Lott  and  not  to  Livingston 
together  with  the  principal,  and  was  lent  out  again  by  the  former  in 
order  to  meet  the  purposes  of  the  act  of  1771. 

On  the  other  hand,  when  the  Provincial  Congress  issued  its  first 
paper  money  in  1776,  it  was  placed  in  its  own  treasury  and  not  turned 
over  to  Lott.  By  this  time,  it  may  be  said  that  the  revolutionary  govern- 
ment of  New  York  had  assumed  all  the  financial  obligations  of  the 
colonial  government  and  also  insisted  upon  collecting  all  debts  due  it. 
Any  surplus,  it  was  felt,  might  be  used  legitimately  to  finance  the  war. 
This  was  a  revolutionary  procedure  of  much  consequence  which  has 
been  entirely  overlooked. 


Watch  of  Maj.  John  Andre 

{Courtesy  New  York  Historical  Society) 

On  March  9,  1776,  Lott  was  ordered  within  30  days  to  report  on 
oath  all  "public  revenues"  in  his  hands  and  to  state  to  what  funds 
they  belonged.  Fai|ing  to  do  so,  the  Convention  on  September  17, 
1776,  summoned  him  to  appear  before  it  immediately  with  his  account 
books,  papers  and  money,  in  order  that  the  balance  in  his  possession 
might  be  turned  over  "to  the  present  Treasurer  of  this  State."  If 
he  refused  to  appear  within  5  days,  he  was  to  be  seized  and  brought 


110  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

under  arrest  to  the  Convention.  At  the  same  time  it  was  voted  that 
Lott  "cease  to  demand  or  receive  any  moneys  belonging"  to  New 
York,  and  that  Peter  Van  Brugh  Livingston,  as  State  Treasurer,  should 
receive  the  same.  By  this  action  the  old  office  of  treasurer  was  virtu- 
ally abolished  and  a  new  State  Treasurer  substituted. 

At  last  word  came  from  Lott  that  a  "wounded  wrist"  and  an  attack 
of  the  gout  had  made  it  impossible  to  answer  his  summons,  but  that 
he  would  appear  shortly.  On  October  9,  1776,  he  said  that  he  was 
gathering  his  paper  together  and  would  soon  present  his  report.  A 
memorandum  made  out  about  a  month  later  showed  that  duties  amount- 
ing to  over  £316  were  still  owing  from  twenty-eight  persons.  Nothing 
further  appears  in  the  records  until  April  24,  1777,  when  the  "late 
Treasurer  of  the  Colony  of  New  York"  appeared.  A  committee  of 
three  was  asked  to  confer  with  him  and  report,  with  instructions  to  al- 
low his  salary  up  to  September  17,  1777.  It  was  reported  that  Lott 
owed  the  State  £24,870  but  that  he  had  in  hand  only  £3000,  the  balance 
having  been  invested  in  the  Danish  Islands.  The  Convention  on  May  8, 
1777,  ordered  Lott  to  turn  over  to  the  State  Treasurer  the  cash  in  his 
possession  and  all  his  records  together  with  an  exact  statement  of  his 
accounts.  Apparently  no  settlement  was  made,  for  as  late  as  May  12, 
1784,  the  State  Legislature  was  still  trying  to  collect  the  balance  due 
the  State  either  from  him  or  his  bondsmen.  This  experience  of  the 
revolutionary  government  with  the  legitimate  treasurer  of  the  colony 
is  given  qt  length  because  it  illustrates  the  method  by  which  the 
colonial  financial  machinery  together  with  such  resources  as  were 
available  was  taken  over  by  the  patriots,  and  also  the  precautions 
observed  to  do  it  in  an  orderly  manner. 

One  of  the  earliest  acts  of  the  State  Legislature  was  the  appoint- 
ment of  Gerard  Bancker  on  April  1,  1778,  as  the  State  Treasurer,  suc- 
ceeding Peter  Van  Brugh  Livingston,  appointed  by  the  Convention  in 
1776.  He  was  reappointed  for  short  terms  throughout  the  Revolutionary 
War  and  his  bond  was  fixed  at  S10,000.  The  State  Treasurer  was  a  most 
important  official  because  upon  him  fell  the  task  of  raising  money 
and  paying  bills.  In  this  difficult  work  Gerard  Bancker's  duties  were 
as  important  as  those  of  a  governor  or  a  general.  With  his  famous 
iron  money  chest,  moving  about  from  New  York  City  to  Rochester, 
Hurley,  Poughkeepsie,  Kingston  and  finally  Albany,  he  deserves  high 
rank  among  the  State's  great  men.  He  had  to  be  an  authority  on 
colonial,  continental,  state  and  foreign  money.  The  various  kinds  of 
bills,  notes  and  certificates  were  most  confusing,  and  depreciation  added 
to  the  chaotic  condition.  Associated  with  Bancker  as  Auditor  Generals 
were  Comfort  Sands  and  Peter  T.  Curtenius,  who  shared  the  vexations 
and  perplexities  of  his  office. 


FINANCING    THE    REVOLUTION 


111 


The  New  York  Provincial  Congress  was  one  of  the  first  revolutionary 
bodies  to  outline  a  new  intercolonial  program  to  finance  the  war.  On 
May  26.  1775.  only  2  weeks  after  the  Second  Continental  Congress  met 
at  Philadelphia,  the  Provincial  Congress  wrote  to  New  York's  delegates 
that  it  was  "clearly  impossible''  to  raise  by  taxes  a  sum  "adequate  to 
the  public  service"  and  that  it  was  equally  certain  that  the  paper 
money  of  the  various  states  could  not  obtain  '"universal  circulation." 
Consequently  the  Continental  Congress  would  have  to  issue  "an  uni- 
versal paper  currency."    A  committee  was  appointed  by  the  Provincial 


David   Williams   Medal   1781 

(Courtesy  Neio  York  Historical  Society) 

Congress  to  consider  "the  expediency  of  emitting  a  continental  paper 
currency,"  and  the  Continental  Congress  was  advised  to  await  the 
committee's  report.  On  May  30th  the  report  stated  that  since  gold 
and  silver  were  so  scarce  in  New  York,  the  money  needed  for  the  war 
would  have  to  be  paper.  Since  the  danger  of  depreciation  was  so 
great  the  paper  money  must  be  issued  in  small  quantities.  The  best 
plan  was  to  have  the  Continental  Congress  "strike  the  whole  sum"  and 
then  apportion  it  to  each  colony,  using  some  distinctive  device  to  show 
each  colony's  bills.  After  debate  the  report  was  adopted  unanimously 
and  forwarded  to  the  Continental  Congress. 


112  THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

This  New  York  "plan  for  raising  money"  pleased  the  New  York 
delegates  at  Philadelphia  who  promised  to  use  their  "endeavors  to  carry 
it  through."  Although  they  realized  that  "for  want  of  money"  the 
New  York  Provincial  Congress  was  facing  "difficulties"  in  war  pre- 
parations, still  they  urged  that  body  to  forward  5,000  barrels  of  flour 
to  the  army  at  Boston  on  the  credit  of  the  Continental  Congress.  James 
Duane  wrote  on  June  17th  that  the  "great  complaint  of  the  want  of 
money"  would  soon  be  removed  by  an  emission  of  continental  paper 
money  based  on  the  New  York  plan.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that 
New  York  deserves  credit  for  having  suggested  the  monetary  system 
that  was  used  to  finance  the  Revolution.  The  plan  seems  to  have  been 
formulated  by  Gouverneur  Morris. 

The  Continental  Congress,  on  June  22,  1775,  voted  to  issue  $2,000,000 
in  "bills  of  credit,"  for  the  redemption  of  which  "the  twelve  con- 
federated colonies"  gave  their  pledge.  These  paper  bills  bearing  the 
name  "Continental  Currency,"  were  issued  in  denominations  of  from 
Si  to  $8,  equally  distributed,  and  a  smaller  amount  in  $20  notes.  The 
standard  of  value  was  the  Spanish  milled  dollar  in  gold  or  silver. 
James  Duane  of  New  York  was  a  member  of  the  committee  of  five 
appointed  to  have  plates  engraved,  to  secure  paper  and  to  arrange  for 
the  printing.  To  superintend  the  printing  of  the  bills  a  new  committee 
of  three  was  named  on  July  21st.  Four  days  later  the  Continental 
Congress  ordered  the  issuance  of  an  additional  $1,000,000  in  $30 
bills,  and  authorized  any  two  members  of  a  committee  of  twenty-eight 
to  sign  bills,  which  were  carefully  numbered.  Each  person  who  signed 
and  numbered  bills  was  paid  $1,331/3  for  every  1000  bills  after  he  had 
made  a  report  of  his  work  to  the  treasurers.  On  several  occasions 
Congress  had  to  urge  greater  speed  in  signing  bills. 

On  July  29,  1775,  the  Continental  Congress  appointed  two  "joint 
treasurers  of  the  United  Colonies"  and  resolved: 

1  That  each  colony  should  choose  a  treasurer  (which  New  York 
had  done  three  weeks  before) . 

2  That  each  colony  should  arrange  to  pay  for  that  portion  of  the 
continental  money  assigned  to  it  on  the   basis  of  population. 

3  That  out  of  the  $3,000,000  New  York's  share  was  $248,139,  which 
was  the  same  as  that  of  Connecticut,  North  Carolina  and  South  Caro- 
lina, and  the  fifth  largest  sum. 

4  That  each  colony  should  repay  to  the  Continental  Congress  its 
share  in  four  equal  installments  annually,  the  first  being  due  on 
November  30,  1779. 

5  That  continental  money  should  be  accepted  in  the  colonies  for 
taxes  on  a  par  with  gold  and  silver. 


FINANCING    THE    REVOLUTION  113 

It  was  reported  in  the  New  York  Provincial  Congress  on  August  5, 
1775,  that  a  warrant  had  been  issued  for  the  assignment  of  $175,000  in 
continental  notes  to  New  York  for  money  advanced  and  debts  con- 
tracted in  the  public  service.  Arrangements  were  made  to 
bring  the  money  to  the  colony,  and  on  August  23d  Egbert  Dumond 
reached  New  York  City  from  Philadelphia  with  the  $175,000.  The 
money  was  delivered  to  Peter  Van  Brugh  Livingston,  who  on  July  8th, 
had  been  made  the  "Treasurer  of  the  Provincial  Congress"  and  not  to 
Abraham  Lott,  the  colonial  treasurer.  With  this  paper  money  New 
York  in  large  part  financed  its  war  activities  during  the  early  months 
of  the  struggle.  By  an  arrangement  with  Congress,  New  York  was 
assigned  an  additional  $50,000  from  Pennsylvania,  and  on  December 
18,  1775,  two  men  were  sent  to  Philadelphia  to  get  it. 

Other  issues  of  continental  currency  followed  the  first  one  of 
$3,000,000.  After  making  an  estimate  of  the  public  expenses  up 
to  June  10,  1776,  Congress  on  December  26,  1775,  authorized  a 
like  amount  in  bills  running  from  $1  to  $8.  Each  colony  received 
a  share  based  oni  the  number  of  inhabitants,  and  was  to  repay  its 
quota  in  four  equal  annual  payments  beginning  November  30,  1783. 
The  states  were  expected  to  raise  the  money  by  taxes,  which  might 
be  paid  in  "Continental  bills"  as  well  as  in  gold  and  silver.  This 
second  issue  was  numbered  from  one  upward  in  ink  of  a  different 
color  to  distinguish  it  from  the  first.  The  same  method  of  signing 
was  used.  A  table  of  the  values  of  current  silver  and  gold  coins 
in  continental  paper  money  was  approved  on  September  2,  1776. 
The  next  issue  of  $4,000,000  on  February  17,  1776,  consisted  in  part 
of  fractions  of  $1,  and  these  bills  needed  but  one  signature.  By  Novem- 
ber 2,  1776,  $20,000,000  had  been  issued,  and  all  but  something 
over  $3,000,000  put  into  circulation.  Meanwhile  the  need  of  stabiliz- 
ing the  currency  was  so  great  that  states  were  urged  "to  avoid  as  much 
as  possible  the  further  emission  of  paper  currency"  and  to  pay  their 
quotas  of  the  continental  paper.  From  1777  issue  followed  issue  in 
rapid  succession  until  the  country  was  fairly  flooded  with  paper 
money.  It  is  estimated  that  the  forty  issues  from  1775  to  1779 
amounted  to  about  $242,000,000.  Of  the  $32,200,000  issued  by  Con- 
gress between  1778  and  1782,  New  York's  allotment  totaled  $1,679,950. 

In  the  year  1780,  New  York's  total  apportionment  of  continental 
loans  was  given  as  $16,285,143,  of  which  only  about  one-third  or 
$5,785,143  had  been  repaid,  leaving  a  balance  due  the  United  States 
of  $10,500,000. 

In  addition  Congress  had  levied  $416,445  against  New  York  in 
"special  taxes"  of  which  only   $24,825  had  been  paid.     There  was 


114  THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

also  a  "current  account"  in  which  New  York  still  owed  a  balance 
of  S652,980.  On  the  other  hand,  what  the  United  States  owed  New 
York,  was  not  known,  and  "large  sums"  were  still  due  individuals 
in  the  State  from  the  national  treasury.  Robert  Morris,  July  25, 
1781,  urged  Governor  Qinton  to  hurry  up  New  York's  payments. 
Alexander  Hamilton  was  appointed  by  Robert  Morris  "receiver  of 
the  continental  taxes  within  the  State  of  New  York"  in  conformity 
with  an  act  of  November  2,  1781,  no  doubt  with  the  expectation  that 
he  would  obtain  larger  payments.  In  this  position  Hamilton  ob- 
tained experience  that  was  invaluable  to  him  in  his  later  public 
services.  On  July  30,  1782,  Morris  told  the  Governor  that  Congress 
had  ordered  the  collection  of  State  and  national  taxes  separately, 
and  complained  that  in  the  previous  collections  state  taxes  had  been 
given  precedence  over  continental.  New  York,  he  said,  was  in  arrears 
for  every  state  tax  since  1776  and  was  applying  continental  taxes 
for  the  payment  of  back  state  taxes.  The  Governor  was  urged  to 
find  a  remedy.  It  should  be  remembered  that  New  York  was  greatly 
handicapped  financially  because  the  richest  part  of  the  State  was  in 
the  hands  of  the  enemy  from  1776  to  1783. 

Notwithstanding  the  supply  of  continental  currency  lent  to  New 
York,  it  was  not  enough  to  meet  the  mounting  costs  of  the  war,  and 
other  sums  had  to  be  secured.  The  devotion  of  men  of  wealth  in 
New  York  to  the  American  cause  is  shown  in  the  fact  that  repeatedly 
they  pledged  their  personal  credit  to  carry  on  the  war.  For  example, 
on  March  9,  1776,  General  Philip  Schuyler  gave  his  pledge  per- 
sonally to  raise  $5000  in  specie  for  the  Canadian  expedition  because 
paper  money  would  not  be  accepted  by  the  Canadians.  On  August 
8,  1776,  the  Convention  instructed  a  committee  of  three  to  borrow 
£10,000  to  be  repaid  in  a  short  time  but  without  interest.  A  month 
later  the  Continental  Congress  advanced  to  the  New  York  delegates 
$6700  "for  use  of  that  State  to  be  accountable."  On  September  28, 
1776,  New  York  got  a  special  loan  of  $100,000  from  Congress,  which 
reached  Poughkeepsie  a  few  months  later.  Citizens  of  the  State  who 
were  indebted  to  Loyalists,  were  encouraged  by  liberal  terms  to  pay 
these  debts  to  the  Government,  which  took  the  ground  that  such 
payments  might  be  regarded  as  forfeited  property.  On  November 
22,  1777,  another  loah  of  $200,000  was  secured  from  the  National 
Government.  Gouverneur  Morris  reported  to  Governor  Clinton  on 
September  6,  1778,  that  Congress  had  lent  New  York  $485,000, 
which  was  less  than  that  granted  to  any  other  state  except  Delaware 
and  Virginia. 


FINANCIiNG   THE    REVOLUTION  115 

New  York  was  not  content  with  continental  money  but  decided 
to  use  its  own  credit  for  an  issue  of  state  paper  Bills.  A  ways  and 
means  committee  was  appointed.  On  September  2,  1775,  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress  authorized  an  issue  of  £45,000  or  $112,500  in  paper 
bills,  half  "to  be  sunk/'  or  retired,  in  March  1776,  and  the  re- 
mainder a  year  later,   from   taxes   levied   on  the   people  as  follows: 

1  Local  committees  should  appoint  "two  or  more  assessors  and  one 
or  more  collectors." 

2  County  committees  should  supervise  collections  by  cooperating 
with  the  assessors  and  collectors. 

3  Those  persons  refusing  to  pay  their  taxes  should  have  their 
goods  sold. 

4  The  general  county  committees  should  appoint  county  treasurers 
to  receive  money  from  collectors. 

5  The  county  treasurers  should  send  the  money  to  the  "Colony 
Treasurer." 

6  The  money  should  be  used  to  "sink"  or  redeem  the  paper  issue. 

7  In  case  the  committees  failed  to  act  by  November,  the  Provincial 
Congress  should  fix  quotas  and  appoint  collectors. 

By  December  9,  1775,  the  Continental  Congress  was  advised  that 
the  New  York  bills  were  printed  and  ready  for  signatures.  The 
Provincial  Congress,  however,  was  in  doubt  about  the  wisdom  of 
complicating  the  financial  system  with  money  that  would  not  circu- 
late easily  outside  the  colonies  that  issued  it,  and  therefore  advised 
Congress  to  make  all  money  continental  currency.  That  body  was 
asked  whether  it  would  lend  New  York  the  needed  £45,000.  The 
request  was  refused  on  the  ground  that  it  would  establish  a  bad 
precedent.  New  York  then  decided  to  proceqd  with  its  own  issue. 
Since  there  was  not  sufficient  room  for  the  signatures  of  the  three 
men  authorized  to  sign  the  bills,  it  was  decided  that  any  two  signa- 
tures would  suffice.  On  January  6,  1776,  Isaac  Roosevelt  was 
ordered  to  have  the  bills  signed  "with  all  possible  dispatch."  The 
issue  was  increased  to  £55,000,  or  $137,500,  and  consisted  mostly 
of  small  bills  to  facilitate  the  making  of  change.  So  active  were 
the  military  preparations  in  New  York  that  by  May  8,  1776,  it  was 
reported  that  the  treasury  had  been  empty  for  3  weeks  and  many 
bills  were  owing,  hence  Isaac  Roosevelt  was  instructed  to  have  the 
remaining  half  of  the  $137,500  printed,  numbered,  signed  and  sent 
to  the  Treasurer  with'out  delay.  Both  the  continental  and  New  York 
paper  money  was  made  legal  tender  for  all  debts,  public  and  private. 

An  important  phase  of  financing  the  Revolutionary  War  was  to 
supply  the  local  political  units  with  funds.     The  county  and  district 


116  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

committees  needed  money  to  carry  on  public'  business  and  to  render 
aid  in  the  war.  Times  were  bad  for  levying  local  taxes  and  there- 
fore the  Provincial  Congress  was  importuned  for  cash.  The  Tryon 
county  committee  asked  for  a  loan  of  £500  for  scouts  and  said  that 
the  "association"  would  be  broken  if  they  should  attempt  to  tax 
the  people.  The  Albany  county  committee  asked  for  cash  on  April 
2,  1776,  to  carry  on  recruiting.  Appreciating  the  local  situation,  the 
Provincial  Congress  on  March  13,  1776,  voted  that  the  "Colony 
Treasury"  should  advance  to  the  county  committees  the  following 
, fcums  out  of  the  issue  of  provincial  bills  of  credit: 

City  and  county  of  New  York £1200 

City  and  county  of  Albany 800 

Suffolk    county 460 

Westchester   county 430 

Dutchess  county    420 

7  ryon   county    400 

Ulster  county   360 

Kings  county    200 

Orange  county    200 

Richmond  county    129 

Cumberland  county    100 

Charlotte    county    100 

Total    ...." £4799 

The  Treasurer  was  to  lend  these  sums  to  the  county  committees  ori 
order  of  the  chairman  and  clerk,  and  the  money  was  to  be  paid  back 
when  raised  by  taxes.  Another  loan  of  larger  sums  was  made  on 
January  14,  1777,  and'  the  county  committees  were  ordered  to  report 
all  sums  received.  The  county  committees  in  turn  supplied  the  dis- 
trict committees  with  funds.  For  instance,  on  July  17,  1775,  the 
Schenectady  committee  received  from  the  Albany  county  committee 
£100-2s.  for  "disbursements  of  this  Committee." 

An  interesting  phase  of  New  York's  desperate  effort  to  finance 
the  war  was  the  issuance  of  paper  money  by  the  county  committees. 
For  instance,  the  Albany  Committee  of  Correspondence  finding  it 
difficult  to  borrow  money  put  out  two  issues  of  £500  each,  one  as 
early  as  June  22,  1775,  to  meet  expenses,  but  the  bills  were  soon 
canceled.  The  next  year  an  issue  of  £2000  appeared.  No  doubt  the 
action  of  Albany  was  copied  elsewhere.  Apparently  this  practice  was 
discountenanced  by  state  and  national  authorities.  It  seems  that  even 
private  persons  issued  bills  on  their  own  credit. 


^  V  ^  -^^  ^K. 


I^ 


1      Oh  a 

-a 
^1 


118  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

The  colonial  "Loan  Office"  was  a  financial  institution,  created 
in  New  York  in  1737  and  still  in  active  operation  at  the  outbreak  of 
the  Revolution.  The  loan  offices  were  located  in  every  county.  They 
were  devised,  on  the  one  hand,  for  the  purpose  of  encouraging  trade 
and  agriculture  by  supplying  funds  and  by  putting  money  into  circu- 
lation, and  on  the  other,  for  the  better  support  of  the  colonial  gov- 
ernment. 

The  loan  officers,  who  were  chosen  with  care  in  each  county  by 
the  justices  and  supervisors,  received  an  allotment  of  paper  money 
from  the  colonial  treasurer,  which  they  loaned  out  at  a  fair  rate  of 
interest  to  borrowers  in  need  of  funds  for  various  business  opera- 
tions who  could  give  security  in  satisfactory  mortgages  on  lands  and 
houses.  Careful  records  were  kept  of  all  transactions.  One  of  the 
last  acts  of  the  colonial  Assembly  on  April  3,  1775,  was  to  authorize 
the  loan  officers  of  Suffolk  county  to  foreclose  certain  mortgages 
taken  to  secure  loans.  Theodorus  Van  Wyck,  loan  officer  of  New 
York  City,  on  June  14,  1776,  notified  the  Provincial  Congress  that 
he  was  about  to  offer  for  public  sale  the  houses  and  lands  of  such 
persons  as  had  not  paid  their  interest  on  loans,  and  asked  that  body 
for  advice. 

To  the  local  loan  offices  inherited  by  the  Revolution  there  was 
added  the  Loan  Office  of  the  State  of  New  York,  known  also  as  the 
"Continental  Loan  Office,"  created  for  the  purpose  of  borrowing  money 
from  the  people.  On  October  3,  1776,  the  Continental  Congress  asked 
each  state  to  appoint  a  commissioner  of  a  loan  office  "for  the  con- 
venience of  the  lenders"  and  to  report  the  names  of  the  men  selected. 
Henry  L  Van  Rensselaer  on  November  8,  1776,  was  appointed  "com- 
missioner" to  superintend  the  Loan  Office  of  the  State  and  to  receive 
money  loaned  to  the  United  States  on  its  credit.  His  office  was  located 
at  Albany  and  he  was  required  to  give  a  bond  of  £20,000  New  York 
currency.  When  he  resigned,  Dirck  Ten  Broeck  succeeded  to  the 
office.  Abraham  Yates  was  "commissioner  of  the  Continental  Loan 
Office"  in  1780. 

A  broadside  dated  October  3,  1776,  advertised  the  continental  loan 
of  $5,000,000  which  the  states  were  asked  to  assume.  The  certificates 
given  to  lenders  were  in  denominations  of  from  $300  to  $1000,  and 
bore  ornamental  distinguishing  colors  and  marks.  The  loan  com- 
missioners were  instructed  to  deliver  "indented"  certificates  and  to 
keep  the  corresponding  "checks"  for  the  purpose  of  identification. 
Records  of  all  sums  received  should  be  kept  with  dates  and  names  of 
lenders.  Once  a  month  a  report  was  made  to  the  national  treasurer  of 


Washington's  Certificate  to  a  Soldier 
Original  in  State  Library 


120  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

the  cash  on  hand,  which  Congress  might  draw  on  at  any  time.  On 
these  loans  the  United  States  agreed  to  pay  4  per  cent  interest  annu- 
ally and  loan  officers  "countersigned"  the  certificates.  The  principal 
was  due  in  3  years  and  payable,  as  in  the  case  of  interest,  through  the 
loan  office.  Of  course  these  certificates  given  in  exchange  for  loans 
were  intended  to  circulate  as  money.  The  results  were  not  very  favor- 
able, however,  so  on  January  14,  1777,  Congress  authorized  another 
loan  of  $2,000,000  at  6  per  cent  for  which  S200  certificates  were 
issued.  State  paper  money  might  be  offered  as  loans,  Ori  February 
22,  1777,  a  loan  of  $13,000,000  was  issued  in  certificates.  Article 
XXIX  of  the  Constitution  of  1777  provided  that  loan  officers  should  be 
appointed  by  the  Legislature.  By  November  1777,  it  was  announced 
that  "signal  advantages  have  arisen  from  the  establishment  of  Con- 
tinental loan  offices,  on  which  Congress  continues  to  place  great  de- 
pendence," hence  the  states  were  urged  to  open  subscriptions  for 
loans  in  each  district  and  to  report  all  names  of  lenders. 

Another  loan  for  $10,000,000  was  called  for  in  1778.  Out  of  the 
$8,000,000  loan  authorized  in  1781,  New  York's  share  was  $373,598 
to  be  raised  by  taxes  and  paid  to  the  commissioner  of  the  loan  office. 
Altogether  Congress  borrowed  from  the  people  about  $62,000,000 
valued  in  specie  in  1780  at  $7,648,000.  After  March  1,  1782,  interest 
on  these  loans  was  not  met. 

By  the  act  of  March  30,  1778,  New  York  appointed  commissioners 
in  all  districts  of  the  State  to  obtain  subscriptions  of  not  less  than 
$200  for  these  loan  office  certificates,  and  instructed  them  to  report 
all  money  paid  in  to  the  commissioner  of  the  Continental  Loan  Office 
of  New  York.  In  1780  through  the  county  commissioners  on  loans 
the  State  borrowed  for  6  months  or  a  year  sums  of  $500  and  up  at 
6  per  cent.  The  list  of  subscribers  numbered  358  persons.  Just 
how  much  the  total  amount  was  is  not  known  but  it  must  have  been 
several  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  county  colonial  loan  officers 
do  not  seem  to  have  been  used  in  this  effort  to  raise  funds. 

The  Journals  of  Congress  have  numerous  references  to  the  activity 
of  the  loan  office  for  the  rest  of  the  war.  When  Congress  found  it 
impossible  to  meet  the  interest  on  the  loans  in  1783,  new  certificates 
with  the  value  of  specie  were  issued,  a  practice  which  Robert  Morris 
had  denounced  in  1781  as  demoralizing.  In  addition  to  their  other 
duties,  on  September  17,  1783,  the  commissioners  of  loan  offices  in 
the  states,  by  order  of  Congress,  also  became  "receivers  of  taxes"  at 
a  salary  of  $500. 

There  is  some  evidence  that  New  York  tried  to  float  loans  through 
the  State  Loan  Office  for  state  use.     On  January  17,  1781,  the  Legis- 


•  FINANCING    THE    REVOLUTION  121 

lature  reported  that  not  more  than  $42,500  in  certificates  had  been 
issued  to  lenders. 

The  county  loan  offices  were  found  by  the  revolutionary  govern- 
ment to  be  a  useful  financial  agency  and  pains  were  taken  to  keep 
them  active  throughout  the  Revolution.  New  officers  were  appointed 
to  fill  vacancies.  In  1775  money  from  the  loan  offices  of  the  city 
and  county  of  Albany  and  of  Ulster  county  was  used  to  finance  mili- 
tary operations.  On  March  1,  1776,  the  Committee  of  Safety  ordered 
all  persons  who  were  indebted  to  the  loan  offices  to  pay  their  obliga- 
tions, which  sums  were  to  be  sent  to  the  State  Treasury.  On  March 
9,  1776,  the  loan  officers  were  instructed  to  receive  the  interest  due 
on  a  loan  made  in  1771  and  "put  the  same  out  on  loan"  again.  On 
September  17,  1776,  the  county  loan  officers  were  ordered  to  pay  all 
sums  in  their  hands  to  the  State  Treasurer,  for  which  he  gave  a 
receipt.  "All  the  loan  officers  in  all  the  counties  in  this  State"  were 
empowered  to  act  "until  farther  orders"  were  given.  The  "Loan 
Office  Minutes"  and  "Accounts"  of  Dutchess  county  still  preserved 
cover  the  year  1777.  The  loan  officers  were  still  functioning  in  April 
1782,  and  presumably  did  so  throughout  the  war.  These  agencies, 
however,  devised  for  lending  rather  than  borrowing  purposes,  do  not 
seem  to  have  been  used  as  much  as  they  might  have  been  to  induce 
the  patriots  to  lend  their  money  either  to  the  State  or  the  nation. 
Some  of  the  county  committees  borrowed  funds  through  the  loan 
office,  and  this  practice  may  have  been  more  general  than  the  scanty 
sources  seem  to  show.  As  an  illustration,  the  Albany  Committee  of 
Correspondence  on  February  8,  1777,  borrowed  £1200  from  the 
Albany  County  Loan  Officers. 

With  the  circulation  of  such  large  quantities  of  continental  and  state 
paper  money  depreciation  was  inevitable.  Gold  and  silver,  never 
plentiful  in  the  colonies,  disappeared.  The  first  instance  of  deprecia- 
tion in  New  York  was  November  3,  1775,  when  some  merchants  raised 
the  price  of  blankets.  To  prevent  depreciation,  the  Continental  Con- 
gress on  January  11,  1776,  ordered  that  any  person  who  refused  to 
receive  the  paper  money,  or  obstructed  its  circulation,  should  be 
treated  as  an  enemy  and  deprived  of  all  trading  privileges.  Such  a 
decree  was  repeated  again  and  again,  but  without  much  effect.  Prior 
to  the  Declaration  of  Independence  the  people  quite  generally  received 
the  currency  willingly.  ^When  the  issues  exceeded  $20,000,000  trouble 
began.  The  exchange  value  of  the  paper  dollar  declined  from  139  in 
1777  to  4000  by  March  18,  1780.    After  that  year  paper  soon  ceased  to 


122  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

pass  for  money  and  became  an  article  oi  speculation.  Barbers  plastered 
their  shops  with  the  bills  in  jest,  and  sailors  used  them  to  kindle  bon- 
fires. Under  these  conditions  it  is  not  surprising  to  find  the  ofl&cers  of 
the  New  York  continental  regiments  petitioning  the  Legislature  for  a 
redress  of  the  injustice  which  they  suffered  because  of  the  depreciated 
currency. 

New  York  became  alarmed  over  this  situation  and  on  January  17, 
1777,  the  Committee  of  Safety  asked  James  Duane,  John  Jay,  and 
Gouverneur  Morris  as  a  committee  to  "devise  ways  and  means  for 
preventing"  the  depreciation.  This  was  done  before  it  was  known  that 
3  days  previously  the  Continental  .Congress  to  remedy  this  "most 
growing  evil"  had  asked  the  states  to  enforce  its   recommendations: 

1  That  whoever  offered  or  received  more  paper  dollars  than  the 
nominal  sum,  or  refused  to  sell  for  the  same,  should  be  deemed  "an 
enemy  to  the  liberties  of  these  United  States"  and  forfeit  the  goods 
involved. 

2  That  the  states  should  make  the  continental  money  legal  tender 
for  all  debts  and  contracts  with  the  cancellation  of  the  obligation  in 
case  of  refusal  to  accept  it. 

3  That  the  states  should  raise  funds  at  once  by  taxes  to  pay  off 
their  quotas  of  the  continental  bills. 

4  That  the  states  should  loan  Congress  $2,000,000  on  certificates  of 
$200. 

John  Hancock  wrote  that  it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  suppress  the 
"growing  evil"  of  depreciated  money.  These  recommendations  after 
reaching  New  York  were  turned  over  to  Jay's  committee  for  action. 
As  remedies  the  committee  in  February  1777  reported:  (1)  that  all 
monies  due  the  loan  ofiice  be  collected;  (2)  that  a  "very  considerable 
tax"  be  levied;  (3)  that  all  money  due  to  creditors  outside  of 
New  York  be  paid  into  the  State  treasury;  (4)  that  a  lottery  of 
100,000  tickets  at  $3  each  be  instituted  with  a  deduction  of  $50,000  to 
be  invested  in  500  tickets  of  the  lottery  of  the  United  States;  (5)  that 
a  list  be  made  of  the  grain  in  the  possession  of  each  individual  and  the 
quantity  needed  by  every  family;  (6)  that  "engrossers"  be  forced  to 
sell  supplies  to  the  army  at  a  fixed  price. 

Meanwhile  on  June  27,  1777,  Massachusetts  asked  New  York  to 
join  the  New  England  states  in  a  conference  to  prevent  "the  deprecia- 
tion and  counterfeiting"  of  the  paper  money.  Jay's  committee  advised 
participation  and  John  Sloss  Hobart  and  Gouverneur  Morris  were 
chosen  as  delegates.  The  conference  met  on  August  1st  and  decided  to 
take  the  state  bills  of  credit  out  of  circulation  as  soon  as  possible 


FINANCING   THE   REVOLUTION  123 

through  a  new  loan  and  at  the  same  time  to  levy  a  heavy  tax  to  support 
the  war.  The  report  showed  that  at  the  time  New  York  had  £187,500 
circulating  as  bills  of  credit. 

The  state  and  county  committees  took  it  upon  themselves  to  im- 
prison or  fine  persons  who  refused  to  accept  the  paper  money  of  the 
State  or  Congress.  Governor  Clinton  in  1777  called  the  efforts  to  de- 
preciate the  continental  money  "criminal."  He  deplored  the  decline 
in  the  value  of  paper  money  in  1779,  and  the  Assembly  told  him  that 
the  only  remedy  was  taxation,  and  more  of  it.  A  bill  was  introduced  in 
the  Assembly  in  1778  to  stop  the  circulation  of  colonial  paper  money 
as  one  metliod  of  improving  the  situation. 

Counterfeiting  and  defacing  the  paper  money  also  caused  consider- 
able trouble.  Such  false  bills  began  to  appear  in  May  1776.  The  first 
cases  presented  to  the  Continental  Congress  resulted  in  mild  punish- 
ments. By  imprisonment  and  stringent  laws  New  York  also  sought  to 
prevent  counterfeiting.  The  records  of  the  Continental  Congress,  Pro- 
vincial Congress  and  county  committees  contain  numerous  instances  of 
fraudulent  paper  bills.  When  the  Loyalists  refused  to  accept  the  revo- 
lutionary money,  the  Continental  Congress  appointed  John  Jay  chair- 
man of  a  committee  to  report  some  course  of  action. 

As  the  war  neared  its  end.  New  York  made  a  desperate  effort  to 
improve  the  money.  The  act  of  October  7,  1780,  sought  to  procure 
specie  from  the  sale  of  forfeited  Loyalist  lands  to  redeem  one-sixth 
of  the  bills  of  credit  issued  by  the  State,  to  pay  interest  on  the  con- 
tinental loan  of  that  year  and  thus  to  steady  the  currency.  In  1781 
to  stabilize  the  state  paper  money  a  law  authorized  the  Governor, 
Lieutenant  Governor,  speaker  of  the  Assembly,  the  Chancellor  and 
judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  the  first  judge  of  each  county  to  fix 
the  general  rate  of  exchange  by  proclamation.  At  the  same  time  all 
acts  making  paper  money  legal  tender  were  repealed.  The  law  of 
November  13,  1781,  permitted  the  exchange  of  old  continental  paper 
for  new  in  the  New  York  Continental  Loan  Office  at  $128  to  $1.  The 
rate  of  French  money  was  fixed  by  law. 

The  effects  of  the  cheap  paper  money  were  noticeable  in  many  ways. 
Perhaps  the  war  could  not  have  been  financed  without  it.  On  the 
whole  the  rich  suffered  most,  and  the  debtor  class  gained  by  it. 
Speculation  was  rife  and  shrewd  men  made  fortunes.  Prices  were 
unstable  and  business"  was  upset.  Not  until  some  years  after  the 
Revolution  was  the  monetary  condition  satisfactory. 

To  be  suddenly  subjected,  by  the  necessity  of  war,  to  the  heaviest 
taxes  was  a  tremendous  test  of  character.     To  meet  the  new  situation 
5 


124  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

self-sacrifice  and  heroism  were  required.  Leaders  of  the  Revolution 
feared  the  results  of  taxation.  John  Jay  in  1775  felt  that  "light  taxes" 
should  be  levied  at  first  so  as  to  accustom  the  people  gradually  to  the 
huge  burden  he  knew  they  must  bear  to  win  the  war.  To  the  New 
York  delegates  in  the  Continental  Congress  the  Provincial  Congress 
wrote  on  July  25,  1775,  that  it  fully  realized  "the  necessity  of  lay- 
ing a  tax"  on  the  colony  but  that  "prudence"  made  it  imperative  to 
proceed  with  caution  so  as  not  to  incite  "popular  disgust  or  perhaps 
opposition."  The  obnoxious  tea  tax  was  suggested  as  safer  than  a 
land  tax.  The  committee  on  ways  and  means  on  August  30,  suggested 
that  £15.000  "ought  to  be  raised  by  taxes."  Four  days  later  the 
Provincial  Congress  boldly  ordered  the  issuance  of  $112,500  in  paper 
money  to  be  redeemed  by  taxes. 

Later  on,  the  people  paid  their  taxes  in  any  kind  of  money  they  could 
obtain.  In  addition  to  state  and  continental  bills,  notes  and  certificates, 
there  were  many  other  varieties  of  paper  money,  such  as  wheat  certifi- 
cates, certificates  of  the  Quarter  Master  General,  State  Agent  certifi- 
cates, certificates  of  the  United  States  Deputy  Commissary  and  loan 
certificates. 

To  the  credit  of  New  York  it  should  be  said  that  these  early  gestures 
toward  taxation,  for  they  were  little  more,  antedated  by  2  years  the 
orders  of  the  Continental  Congress  to  the  states  to  levy  taxes.  In 
January  1777  a  vague  recommendation  for  levying  state  taxes  was 
made,  and  John  Adams  was  convinced  of  the  necessity  of  it.  On 
November  22d  of  that  year  Congress  asked  the  states  for  $5,000,000  in 
taxes  and  requested  them  to  issue  no  more  paper  money. 

After  the  Government  of  the  State  of  New  York  under  the  Constitu- 
tion of  1777  began  to  operate,  more  attention  was  given  to  the  financial 
situation.  Gouverneur  Morris  urged  John  Jay  to  exert  himself  "strenu- 
ously in  the  leading  business  of  taxation"  because  the  continental  bills 
were  considered  as  waste  paper  and  their  depreciation  was  making  the 
Continental  Congress  impotent.  One  of  the  first  laws  enacted  by  the 
new  Legislature  was  the  act  of  March  28,  1778,  for  raising  money  for 
public  needs.  It  stated  that  the  heavy  expenses  incurred  by  the  civil 
government  and  especially  by  the  war  made  a  tax  necessary.  Hence 
a  tax  was  levied  of  3  pence  a  pound  on  all  improved  land  and  1% 
pence  a  pound  on  personal  property.  Assessors  made  out  the  tax  lists, 
collectors  gathered  in  the  taxes  and  after  deducting  3  pence  on  a  pound 
for  their  services  turned  the  balance  over  to  the  county  treasurer  who 
in  turn  deducted  l/o  per  cent  for  his  fees,  before  sending  the  money  to 
the  State  Treasurer.     The  county  sheriffs  also  played  an  important 


FINANCING    THE    REVOLUTION  125 

part  in  this  work,  as  did  the  supervisors.  A  second  war  tax  of  1 
shilling  to  the  pound  was  levied  on  all  improved  land  on  March  2,  1779. 
On  October  23d  of  the  same  year  $2,500,000  was  ordered  raised  by 
taxation.  The  act  of  March  6,  1780.  authorized  $5,000,000  in  taxes 
on  real  and  personal  property  by  apportioning  it  among  the  counties, 
and  12  days  later  $2,500,000  was  added.  The  act  of  October  10,  1780, 
sought  to  raise  by  tax  $150,000  in  specie.  In  1781  a  tax  of  $2,500,000 
in  specie  and  paper,  and  £25.000  in  specie  was  authorized,  and  the 
next  year  £52.000.  The  last  year  of  the  war  £42,100  in  specie  was 
voted  to  be  raised  by  taxation. 

From  July  4,  1776,  to  October  1,  1781,  from  taxes  collected  the 
counties  paid  the  following  sums  into  the  State  Treasury:  Albany 
£875,720;  Dutchess  £1.116,141;  Ulster  £620,008;  Orange  £280,741; 
Westchester  £79.598;  Tryon  £32.450;  and  Charlotte  £3,821.  This 
made  a  grand  total  of  £3,008,481  or  $7,521,200.  Payments  of  taxes 
were  made  in  continental  and  state  paper  money  and  in  notes  of 
February  12,  1780.  Of  the  whole  sum  £2,725,393  or  $6,713,492  was 
credited  to  the  United  States  to  meet  loans  from  the  Continental  Con- 
gress. 

It  was  found  to  be  difficult  to  collect  taxes.  On  October  20,  1778, 
to  facilitate  the  collections  the  Assembly  passed  a  bill  to  appoint 
"commissioners  of  taxes"  in  the  counties,  but  it  was  rejected  by  the 
Senate.  The  same  year  a  bill  passed  the  Legislature  which  stated  that 
"whereas  many  Persons  in  this  State,  taking  Advantage  of  the  Necessi- 
ties of  their  Country,  have  in  prosecuting  their  private  Gain,  amassed 
large  Sums  of  money,  to  the  great  Prejudice  of  the  Public,  and  ought 
therefore  pay  an  extraordinary  Tax"  the  assessors  should  include  them 
on  the  tax  lists  as  they  "Shall  in  their  Judgment  think  proper."  This 
effort  to  tax  the  profiteers,  however,  was  disapproved  by  the  Council 
of  Revision.  In  1780  to  expedite  collection  a  law  penalized  county 
supervisors  for  neglecting  their  duty  in  gathering  in  the  taxes  and 
authorized  the  sheriffs  to  do  it,  for  which  they  were  allowed  1  shilling 
on  the  pound.  Permission  was  given  to  pay  taxes  in  wheat  and  rye. 
The  act  of  July  24,  1782,  sought  to  compel  the  payment  of  back  taxes, 
and  ordered  the  county  treasurers  to  send  their  lists  of  delinquent 
taxes  to  the  Legislature.  The  State  Treasurer  was  authorized  to  pro- 
ceed against  the  county  treasurers  and  thus  force  them  to  collect  back 
taxes. 

In  addition  to  the  state  taxes,  it  must  be  remembered  that  local 
taxes  were  also  collected  to  improve  roads,  build  bridges,  pay  local 
officials,  erect  public  buildings,  etc.     The  Legislature  likewise  author- 


126  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

ized  the  cities  and  counties  to  obtain  funds  for  special  purposes.  For 
example,  in  1778,  Ulster  county  was  authorized  to  raise  by  taxation 
£2000  to  rebuild  the  courthouse  and  jails.  Ulster  county  imposed  a 
number  of.  tax  levies  and  in  1781  was  allowed  to  collect 
taxes  in  specie  or  grain  to  pay  its  bills.  The  city  of  Albany 
was  permitted  to  raise  £400  by  taxation  and  to  levy  a  tax  for  a  night 
watch.  Charlotte  county  imposed  a  bounty  tax.  The  manor  of  Cort- 
land imposed  a  tax  for  the  care  of  the  poor.  Goshen  in  Orange 
county  by  taxation  carried  out  a  drainage  project.  Haverstraw  built  a 
jail  in  the  same  way.  Kings  county  constructed  a  courthouse  by  taxa- 
tion. The  east  district  of  the  manor  of  Rensselaerwyck  was  permitted 
in  1780  to  raise  £1500.  The  manor  of  Rensselaerwyck  paid  its  rangers 
in  1780  from  funds  raised  by  taxes.  There  were  also  special  taxes  for 
flour  for  the  army,  shoes  and  stockings  for  the  troops,  and  military 
supplies. 

These  large  sums,  raised  by  taxation  amounting  possibly  to 
$20,000,000,  were  paid  by  the  people  of  New  York  only  by  heroic 
sacrifices.  This  kind  of  patriotism  can  not  easily  be  visualized,  but  it 
deserves  the  warmest  praise.  No  sooner  had  the  State  begun  to  tax 
the  people  in  earnest  to  pay  for  the  war  than  the  State  Treasurer  on 
April  1,  1778,  was  directed  to  remit  $200,000  to  the  United  States 
Treasury  for  the  loan  of  November  22,  1777.  Later  loans  were  paid 
more  promptly.  A  law  of  June  29,  1778,  ordered  all  debts  due  the 
State  paid.  All  bills  of  credit  issued  by  the  Provincial  Congress  were 
canceled  as  they  came  into  the  State  Treasury.  In  1779  a  duty  was 
laid  on  strong  liquors,  a  practice  continued  throughout  the  Revolution, 
and  the  money  was  received  by  the  county  treasurers.  The  act  of  March 
19,  1781,  authorized  the  United  States  to  levy  duties  on  merchandise. 
In  1781  commissioners  were  appointed  to  obtain  money  on  loan  for 
the  State,  but  apparently  it  was  difficult  to  borrow,  for  $411,250  in 
paper  bills  was  issued  —  the  sum  left  unused  in  the  "Continental  Loan 
Office."  The  treasurer  was  told  to  stamp  all  bills  of  credit  "interest 
paid  one  year"  before  sending  them  out. 

When  the  actual  military  conflict  was  ended  by  the  preliminary 
articles  of  peace  signed  in  1782,  national  and  state  finances  were  in  a 
chaotic  condition.  The  Articles  of  Confederation  stipulated  that  the 
distribution  of  the  cost  of  the  war  should  be  determined  by  the  relative 
value  of  the  lands  and  buildings  of  each  state,  but  since  the  ravages  of 
war  had  seriously  affected  the  property  values  of  some  of  the  states  it 
was  necessary  to  find  some  modification  of  the  plan.  On  February  20, 
1782,  Congress  had  nominated  a  commissioner  from  each  state  to  ar- 


FINANCING    THE    REVOLUTION 


127 


range  a  settlement  of  the  financial  relations  between  the  states  and  the 
United  States  up  to  January  1,  1782,  The  Legislature  gave  Governor 
Clinton  power  to  approve  of  the  commissioner  named  by  the  United 
States  for  New  York,  and  voted  to  entrust  the  National  Government 
with  power  to  determine  New  York's  proportion  of  the  expenses  of  the 
war,  Henry  Sherburne  was  named  by  Governor  Clinton  to  bring  about 
a  financial  settlement  with  the  national  treasurer.  On  February  17, 
1783,  Congress  directed  that  a  "true  estimate"  be  made  of  the  value 
of  all  the  lands  and  buildings  and  of  the  number  of  inhabitants  in 
the  several  states  in  order  to  determine  each  state's  share  of  the  public 
debt. 

In  every  reasonable  way  New  York  cooperated  with  the  United  States 
to  facilitate  a  financial  settlement.  The  act  of  April  27,  1784,  author- 
ized commissioners  to  search  out  individual  debtors  to  the  national 
treasury  and  to  help  collect  the  debts.  But  it  took  some  years  after 
the  Revolution  to  bring  about  a  satisfactory  adjustment.  The  exchange 
of  state  and  continental  securities  was  conducted  by  a  board  of  com- 
missioners consisting  of  William  Dunning,  Henry  Remsen  and  Com- 
fort Sands. 


Conference  House  in  1846 
From  Drawing  by  A.  DeGroot 


'  Interview  Between  Lord  Howe  and  Committee  of  Congress " 
From  Painting  by  Chappell  in  1866 


Restoration  of  Conference  House 
As  planned  by  Chester  A.  Cole 


VII 
NEW  YORK  ON  THE  BATTLEFIELD 

For  nearly  a  century  the  colony  of  New  York  was  the  cockpit  of 
North  America — the  Belgium  of  four  wars  waged  between  France 
and  England  for  the  possession  of  the  continent.  This  rivalry 
centered  about  the  Hudson  river-Lake  Champlain  route,  and  the 
Oswego-Niagara-Great  Lakes  frontier.  The  brunt  of  the  protection 
of  both  these  lines  fell  on  New  York.  New  York  was  the  pivotal 
colony  in  these  wars,  just  as  she  was  later  the  "keystone  of  the  arch" 
in  the  Revolution.  The  victory  of  England  was  also  a  triumph  for 
the  colonies.  Today  the  old  ruins  at  Crown  Point,  Ticonderoga, 
Fort  George,  Fort  Edward,  Fort  Oswego  and  Fort  Niagara  silently 
but  dramatically  tell  the  story  of  New  York's  early  military 
importance. 

The  sacrifices  of  New  York  in  those  imperial  conflicts  promoted 
the  union  of  the  colonies.  The  work  of  Sir  William  Johnson  won 
the  loyalty  of  the  Indians  for  the  British.  The  New  York  Assembly 
generously  voted  supplies.  Her  sons  like  John  Schuyler,  Mayor  Peter 
Schuyler,  Sir  William  Johnson  and  others,  gained  renown  as  mili- 
tary leaders.  In  helping  to  extend  the  boundaries  of  the  British  Empire, 
New  York  made  her  own  territory  secure,  and  hundreds  of  her  men 
from  city  and  farm  in  serving  under  the  British  flag  came  to  know 
something  of  the  art  of  war  and  the  strategic  importance  of  their 
own  colony.  They  developed  traditions  of  heroism  on  the  field  of 
battle  and  a  pride  in  their  leaders.  When  the  war  of  the  Revolution 
began,  the  people  of  New  York  were  not  ignorant  of  what  it  must 
mean  in  self-sacrifice,  hardships,  suff^ering,  expense  and  service. 

The  "Battle  of  Golden  Hill,"  or  the  "first  battle  of  the  Revolution," 
occurred  in  New  York  City  a  few  weeks  before  the  Boston  Massacre. 
Its  historical  significance  lay  in  its  manifestation  of  hostility  to  British 
authority  rather  than  in  any  dreadful  casualties.  The  conflict  took 
place  on  January  19-20,  1770,  when  British  soldiers  had  succeeded  in 
cutting  down  the  fourth  "Liberty  Pole"  set  up  by  the  militant  "Sons 
of  Liberty."  The  men  who  resisted  the  soldiers  of  George  HI  on  Golden 
Hill  "wrote  with  stakes  and  sticks  their  declaration  of  free  speech 
and  the  right  of  public  assembly."  A  similar  conflict  took  place  in 
May  1775,  in  the  present  village  of  Fonda,  between  Sir  John  Johnson 
accompanied  by  "Friends  of  the  King"  and  the  patriots  led  by  Jacob 
Sammons. 

[129] 


Old  Stone  Fort  at   Schoharie 


NEW    YORK    ON    THE    BATTLEFIELD  131 

When  the  news  of  Lexington  and  Concord,  which  carried  the  Ameri- 
can cause  from  the  arena  of  politics  to  the  battlefield,  reached  New 
York,  the  Loyalists  were  stunned  and  the  patriot  party  gained  the 
ascendancy.  Hancock  and  Adams  on  their  way  to  the  Continental 
Congress  were  met  by  an  escort  and  greeted  with  loud  cheers.  The 
first  British  fortress  was  captured  in  New  York  just  3  weeks  after 
Lexington  and  Concord.  The  war  thereby  ceased  to  be  purely  de- 
fensive and  became  aggressive. 

Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  were  two  fortresses  in  New  York 
occupied  by  British  troops  and  commanding  the  northern  approaches 
to  the  Hudson  river,  which  was  the  strategic  center  of  British  America. 
The  garrisons  were  not  large  but  the  vast  quantity  of  military  stores 
was  valuable.  The  idea  of  capturing  these  forts  did  not  originate 
in  New  York,  however,  but  in  New  England.  Ticonderoga  was  taken 
by  Ethan  Allen  and  Benedict  Arnold  with  the  "Green  Mountain 
Boys."  Arnold  claimed  the  command  of  the  expedition  by  virtue 
of  his  commission  from  Massachusetts,  but  Allen  refused  to  recognize 
that  authority,  so  Arnold  went  along  as  a  volunteer.  With  eighty- 
three  men  Allen  and  Arnold  crossed  the  Jake  from  Vermont  at  day- 
break on  May  10,  1775,  and  side  by  side  led  the  troops  into  the 
fortress  demanding  its  surrender.  Taken  by  surprise,  the  garrison 
surrendered.  As  the  commandant  rushed  undressed  to  the  door,  he 
demanded  to  know  by  whose  authority  Allen  was  acting.  "In  the 
name  of  the  Great  Jehovah  and  the  Continental  Congress!"  roared 
the  doughty  Vermonter,  according  to  the  picturesque  account  which 
has  come  down  to  our  time. 

Two  days  later  Seth  Warner  took  Crown  Point.  Thus  200  cannon 
with  a  large  supply  of  powder  and  bullets  together  with  other  mili- 
tary stores  were  secured  for  the  Continental  Army  now  forming. 
Meanwhile  Arnold,  reinforced  by  men  of  his  own  command,  built 
in  New  York  waters  the  first  navy  of  the  Revolution,  with  which  he 
sailed  down  Lake  Champlain  and  captured  St  Johns  with  its  garrison 
and  supplies.  This  was  the  first  invasion  of  Canada  and  was  made 
from  New  York. 

In  June  1775,  the  few  British  soldiers  in  New  York  City  were 
ordered  to  Boston.  As  they  were  marching  to  the  ship  to  depart, 
Marinus  Willett  in  the  name  of  the  local  committee  stopped  the  carts 
carrying  the  spare  arms  and  seized  them  for  the  use  of  New  York 
troops  later. 

When  the  Revolution  became  open  war  after  Concord  and  Lexing- 
ton,  and  the  fall    of  Ticonderoga,   Crown    Point  and  St  Johns,  the 


132 


THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 


colonies  were  confronted  with  the  gigantic  task  of  raising  an  army 
and  equipping  it,  of  erecting  fortifications  for  defense,  of  creating 
a  navy  and  of  raising  funds  to  pay  for  all  these  military  prepara- 
tions. On  assuming  the  powers  of  the  colonial  government,  the  New 
York  Provincial  Congress  immediately  took  up  these  great  problems. 
From  the  outset  the  leaders  realized  that  the  war  would  impose  upon 
them  a  heavy  burden.  The  enemy  would  certainly  make  an  early 
effort  to  seize  New  York  City;  an  invasion  from  the  north  seemed  very 
probable;  the  Loyalists  were  numerous,  wealthy  and  powerful;  and  the 
Six  Nations  were  likely  to  join  the  British.  Confronted  by  this  situa- 
tion, necessity  became  the  mother  of  preparedness. 


"  Arousing  the  Minutemen  " 

From  copyrighted  photograph  of  painting  on  exhibition  in  the  Majestic  Hotel 
Galleries,  New  York  City 
(By   permission    of    the   artist,   John    ^Vard   Dunsmore) 

News  of  the  fall  of  Ticonderoga  reached  New  York  City  on  May 
18th.  On  convening  on  May  22d,  the  Provincial  Congress  appointed 
a  committee  of  five  from  Albany  county  to  superintend  the  removal 
of  the  cannon  and  stores  to  Fort  George  at  the  southern  end  of  Lake 
George  and  there  "establish  a  strong  post."  Albany  was  asked  to 
send  troops  to  guard  the  prizes  and  raised  two  companies.  Connecticut 
was  asked  to  send  1,000  men  to  hold  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point, 
and  did  so,  while  New  York  promised  to  provide  them  with  food  and 
ammunition.  In  July  1,000  men  were  ordered  to  Albany  to  serve 
under  Schuyler's  orders.     On  July  25th  the  Congress  directed  that  not 


NEW    YORK    ON    THE    BATTLEFIELD  133 

over  5,000  men  be  kept  in  New  York  to  defend  the  frontier  lakes  and 
the  metropolis.  The  Ticonderoga  cannon  were  not  actually  removed 
until  the  following  winter,  when  General  Knox  superintended  their 
transportation  hy  water  to  Fort  George  and  then  on  sleds  to  Boston 
where  they  enabled  Washington  to  drive  the  British  from  the  city  a 
little  later. 

The  Continental  Congress  also  acted  quickly.  In  its  opening  days, 
General  Philip  Schuyler  called  its  attention  to  "the  necessity  of  secur- 
ing Hudson  River."  On  May  15th,  5  days  after  Congress  convened, 
George  Washington  appears  for  the  first  time  in  the  records  of  that 
body  as  chairman  of  a  committee  to  cooperate  with  the  New  York 
delegates  in  considering  "what  posts  are  necessary  to  be  occupied  in 
tlie  Colony  of  New  York."  Before  the  committee  could  report,  Con- 
gress directed  New  York,  if  expected  British  troops  came,  to  "act 
on  the  defensive"  for  their  own  security.  The  British  troops  in  the 
city  were  to  be  allowed  to  remain  in  their  barracks;  in  case  of  attack 
New  York  was  to  "repel  force  by  force";  the  "warlike  stores"  should 
be  removed,  places  of  retreat  provided  for  the  women  and  children, 
and  men  enlisted  to  protect  the  city. 

Washington's  committee  reported  4  days  later  and  on  May  25th 
the  Continental  Congress  ordered  the  erection  of  a  fort  near  Kings 
Bridge,  the  construction  of  batteries  in  the  Highlands  on  each  side 
of  the  river,  the  arming  and  training  of  the  militia  of  New  York 
"to  act  at  a  moment's  warning,"  the- placing  of  troops  in  New  York  City, 
and  the  enlistment  by  the  Provincial  Congress  of  not  over  3,000  men 
and  appointment  of  officers,  to  serve  until  January  1st,  to  occupy  the 
posts  on  the  Hudson  and  Lake  George. 

The  men  from  New  York  in  military  service  during  the  war  may 
be  divided  into  four  groups:  (1)  those  who  served  in  the  Continental 
Army  under  the  command  of  the  Continental  authorities  and  not,  after 
the  early  stages  of  the  struggle,  under  the  direction  or  control  of  the 
State;  the  individual  soldiers  were  known  as  Continentals  or  regulars, 
and  the  organizations  as  the  "Continental  Line"  or  the  "New  York 
Line";  (2)  the  militia,  a  portion  of  which  was  organized  as  minute- 
men  for  several  years;  (3)  the  levies,  a  term  applied  to  several  types 
of  organization;    (4)  those  who  served  in  the  navy. 

The  New  York  Line.  On  June  28,  1775,  the  New  York  Line  was 
organized  under  the  resolves  of  the  Provincial  Congress  and  comprised 
four  regiments  of  infantry  and  one  company  of  artillery:  the  first 
(New  York),  Colonel  McDougall;  the  second  (Albany),  Colonel  Van 
Schaick;  the  third  (Ulster),  Colonel  James  Clinton;  the  fourth 
(Dutchess),  Colonel  Holmes;  the  artillery  (New  York  City),  Captain 


134  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

Lamb.  Already  the  Continental  Congress  had  appointed  Philip 
Schuyler  major  general  and  Richard  Montgomery  brigadier  general. 

All  five  regiments  participated  in  the  Canada  expedition  of  1775-76, 
reenlisting  in  goodly  proportions  in  November,  when  the  6  months 
of  their  first  enlistment  was  nearly  expired.  At  Quebec  the  New 
Yorkers  bore  a  conspicuous  part  and  a  number  were  killed,  wounded 
and  taken  prisoners.  Lamb's  artillery  was  almost  destroyed  and  their 
commander  was  dangerously  wounded  and  captured. 

In  April  1776,  when  their  enlistments  expired,  a  New  York  regiment 
was  organized  from  the  troops  in  Canada  under  Colonel  Nicholson 
and  the  rest  of  the  contingent  returned  home.  Meanwhile  provision 
was  made  by  the  Provincial  Congress  for  the  recruiting  of  four  new 
regiments:  first,  Colonel  McDougall;  second,  Colonel  Clinton;  third. 
Colonel  Ritzema;  fourth.  Colonel  Wynkoop.  A  new  regiment  was 
also  provided  for  Colonel  Van  Schaick.  In  June,  Van  Schaick's 
regiment  was  stationed  in  detachments  from  Half  Moon  to  Crown  Point 
and  Wynkoop's  was  at  Ticonderoga;  the  subsequent  service  of  these 
two  regiments  was  under  General  Schuyler.  The  three  other  regiments 
were  assigned  to  protect  New  York  City  during  1776  and  in  August 
two  of  the  colonels,  McDougall  and  Clinton,  became  brigadier  gen- 
erals. They  were  not  actively  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Long  Island, 
or  in  that  of  Harlem  Heights,  although  present  at  the  latter;  there- 
after the  second  regiment  was  sent  into  Connecticut  on  special  service. 
At  White  Plains  the  first  and  thi»d  regiments  were  in  McDougall's 
brigade  which  bore  a  principal  part  in  that  action;  after  the  retreat 
through  the  Jerseys,  they  were  in  the  battle  of  Trenton.  Then  they  were 
sent  home  to  reorganize  "for  the  war,"  enlistments  having  again 
expired. 

The  quota  of  the  State  was  fixed  at  four  regiments  by  the  Con- 
tinental Congress  in  September  1776  and  the  Provincial  Convention 
took  special  pains  to  secure  information  as  to  the  character  of  officers 
in  the  line  regiments  and  in  those  volunteer  and  militia  regiments  which 
had  been  in  active  service.  The  result  was  the  appointment  of  ofi&cers, 
November  21,  1776,  with  this  roster  of  colonels:  first.  Van  Schaick; 
second,  Van  Cortlandt,  who  had  succeeded  Ritzema;  third,  Gansevoort, 
late  lieutenant  colonel  of  Van  Schaick's  command;  fourth,  H.  B. 
Livingston,  late  lieutenant  colonel  of  Clinton's  regiment.  To  the  fifth 
regiment,  which  was  added  to  the  quota  on  the  application  of  the 
State,  was  assigned  in  December,  Duboys,  who  had  been  appointed 
colonel  by  the  Continental  Congress.  This  was  the  permanent  organiza- 
tion of  the  line  after  nearly  2  years  of  war. 

These  organizations  do  not  come  into  the  later  story  of  the  struggle 
in  the  same  way  as  those  distinctly  under  state  control  and  it  may 


NEW    YORK    ON    THE    BATTLEFIELD  135 

therefore  be  well  to  give  a  very  brief  sketch  of  their  history.  The 
first  (Van  Schaick's)  was  first  stationed  at  Fort  George,  then  in  the 
spring  of  1777  ordered  to  Cherry  Valley,  and  "in  May,  to  Saratoga, 
companies  being  detached  to  Fort  Edward  and  Fort  Ann,  and  to  Fort 
Dayton  on  the  German  Flats.  Here  the  first  New  York  remained  during 
the  stirring  events  of  the  Burgoyne  invasion."  The  following  winter 
was  spent  at  Valley  Forge;  tlie  regiment  participated  in  the  battle 
of  Monmouth  and  then  proceeded  with  the  main  army  to  White  Plains, 
where  on  July  22,  1778,  Washington  formed  the  New  York  brigade 
under  Brigadier  General  James  Clinton,  composed  of  the  first,  second, 
fourth  and  fifth  New  York  regiments.  In  the  fall  of  1778  the  first 
regiment  was  sent  to  the  northern  department  with  headquarters  at 
Fort  Stanwix  where  it  remained  until  the  consolidation  with  it  of  the 
tliird  regiment  (Gansevoort's)  on  January  1,  1781.  On  that  date  the 
second,  fourth  and  fifth  regiments  were  also  consolidated  as  the  second 
regiment  under  Colonel  Van  Cortlandt  and  the  history  of  the  two 
regiments  is  the  same  for  the  remainder  of  the  war.  In  June  1781 
Washington  recalled  them  to  the  main  army  on  the  Lower  Hudson  and 
the  light  infantry,  of  which  each  regiment  had  a  company,  was  de- 
tached and  formed  into  a  battalion  with  two  companies  of  New  York 
levies  under.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Alexander  Hamilton.  In  August 
began  the  march  to  Yorktown  and  on  August  28th  Washington 
organized  a  light  division  under  General  Lincoln  of  the  choicest 
American  regiments;  the  two  New  York  regiments  under  General  James 
Clinton  composed  the  left  of  this  division.  It  is  not  possible  to  do 
more  here  than  to  refer  to  the  conduct  of  Hamilton's  light  infantry, 
Clinton's  brigade  and  Lamb's  artillery  in  the  siege  of  Yorktown. 
Marching  north,  the  regiments  went  into  winter  quarters  at  Pompton, 
N.  J.,  afterwards  moving  up  to  Newburgh.  In  the  summer  of  that 
year,  Washington  reported  them  "in  the  best  order  possible."  In 
January  1783  the  regiments  marched  to  their  last  post  near  New 
Windsor,  were  furloughed  on  June  8th  and  honorably  discharged  on 
November  3d. 

The  story  of  the  other  regiments  can  be  told  still  more  briefly. 
The  second  regiment  (Van  Cortlandt's)  after  its  reorganization  took 
post  at  Peekskill  and  was  on  service  in  Westchester  county;  in  August 
1777,  it  was  sent  north  to  Albany,  was  ordered  to  the  relief  of  Fort 
Stanwix  but  got  no  farther  than  Schenectady;  took  part  in  the  battles  of 
Saratoga  and  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne,  then  rejoined  Washington.  It 
was  at  Valley  Forge  the  following  winter,  in  the  battle  of  Monmouth, 
later  at  White  Plains,  from  which  it  went  to  the  Ulster  county  frontier 
where  it  remained  until  April  1779.    Marching  through  the  wilderness 


136  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

to  Wilkes-Barre,  it  joined  the  Sullivan  expedition  and  was  in  the  action 
at  Newtown.  It  then  returned  through  Pennsylvania  to  Morristown 
where  it  spent  the  following  severe  winter,  getting  into  log  huts  only 
after  snow  was  deep  on  the  ground.  In  the  spring  of  1780  it  wai 
sent  to  Fort  Edward  and  in  November  to  Schenectady,  where  it  was 
stationed  at  the  time  of  the  consolidation  with  the  fourth  and  fifth 
regiments  and  remained  until  recalled  to  the  main  army  in  June. 

The  third  New  York  regiment  (Gansevoort's)  was  stationed  at  Fort 
Stanwix  after  its  organization  and  defended  that  post  against  the 
attack  of  St  Leger  in  the  summer  of  1777.  In  1778  and  1779  detach- 
ments were  on  duty  at  several  points  in  the  Mohawk  valley  and  at 
Albany  and  in  June  1779  the  whole  regiment  formed  at  Canajoharie 
and  became  part  of  General  Clinton's  brigade,  which  joined  Sullivan 
in  his  expedition  against  the  Indians.  The  winter  of  1779-80  was 
spent  at  Morristown,  N.  J.;  it  was  with  Washington  in  the  earlier 
movements  of  1780  and  in  July  took  post  in  the  Highlands  from  which 
it  proceeded  to  Fort  Edward,  where  it  remained  until  the  consolidation. 

The  fourth  New  York  regiment  (H.  B.  Livington's)  was  in  the 
defense  of  Peekskill,  March  1777;  in  August  it  marched  north  to  take 
part  in  the  Saratoga  battles  and  surrender;  rejoining  the  main  army 
it  spent  the  winter  at  Valley  Forge,  was  in  the  battle  of  Monmouth 
and  marched  to  White  Plains.  It  was  then  sent  to  Rhode  Island  under 
Lafayette,  was  present  at  the  siege  of  Newport  and  took  part  in  the 
battle  of  Rhode  Island.  Returning  to  the  Hudson  in  the  fall  of  1778, 
it  was  sent  to  Albany  and  in  1779  took  part  in  the  Clinton  expedition, 
joining  Sullivan  and  participating  in  the  action  at  Newtown.  The 
following  winter  was  spent  at  Morristown  and  the  next  summer  in  the 
Highlands  from  which  it  marched  to  Fort  Stanwix  where  it  was  sta- 
tioned when  incorporated  with  the  second  regiment  on  January  1,  1781. 

The  fifth  New  York  regiment  (Duboys)  was  stationed  at  Fort  Mont- 
gomery and  Clinton  after  its  organization  and  participated  in  their 
defense  in  October  1777,  when  it  lost  heavily.  A  considerable  portion 
of  the  regiment  was  captured  by  the  British  in  their  final  successful 
assault.  It  remained  on  duty  in  the  Highlands  and  at  Newburgh  and 
Peekskill  until  the  fall  of  1778  when  it  was  transferred  to  Albany  and 
Schenectady.  In  the  summer  of  1779  it  formed  part  of  Clinton's  force 
which  went  from  the  Mohawk  valley  to  join  Sullivan.  The  winter 
was  spent  at  Morristown  and  the  subsequent  history  is  the  same  as  that 
of  the  second  regiment,  with  which  it  was  incorporated  on  January  1, 
1781. 

In  December  1776,  Washington  was  authorized  to  raise,  on  Con- 
tinental establishment  and  irrespective  of  state  authority  or  boundaries. 


NEW    YORK    ON    THE    BATTLEFIELD  137 

sixteen  "additional""  regiments  of  infantry,  three  of  artillery  and  four 
of  cavalry,  whose  officers  were  appointed  by  Washington  and  commis- 
sioned by  the  Continental  Congress.  Many  of  the  officers  and  men  in 
these  organizations  were  from  this  State  and  were  after  a  time  credited 
to  it  and  acknowledged  by  it.  Of  tlie  regiments  largely  recruited  in 
New  York  were  these:  First  Canadian  Continental  Infantry,  Colonel 
James  Livingston;  Second  Canadian  Continental  Infantry,  Colonel 
Moses  Hazen;  Additional  Continental  Infantry,  Colonel  Seth  Warner; 
Additional  Continental  Infantry,  Colonel  S.  B.  Webb;  Additional 
Continental  Infantry,  Colonel  Oliver  Spencer;  Second  Artillery  (New 
York  Artillery),  Colonel  John  Lamb;  Second  Cavalry,  Colonel  Elisha 
Sheldon;  Fourth  Cavalry,  Colonel  Stephen  Moylan;  Second  Battalion 
Continental  Partizan  Legion,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Henry  Lee;  Corps 
of  Artificers,  Colonel  Jeduthan  Baldwin. 

The  Second  Artillery  (Lamb's)  was  particularly  a  New  York  organi- 
zation and  was  in  the  latter  part  of  the  war  counted  as  of  the  state 
quota.  Lamb's  artillery  company  in  the  Montgomery  expedition  had 
been  very  much  reduced  by  casualties  and,  after  the  term  of  enlist- 
ments expired  in  the  spring  of  1776,  ceased  to  exist  as  a  unit,  but 
several  of  the  officers  were  subsequently  to  be  found  in  the  later  regi- 
ment. Early  in  1776  the  Provincial  Congress  provided  for  a  com- 
pany of  artillery  and  on  March  14th  Alexander  Hamilton  was  com- 
missioned captain  of  this  "New  York  Provincial  Company  of  Artil- 
lery." At  a  time  when  other  organizations  were  being  recruited  for 
short  terms,  Hamilton  directed  that  it  be  for  the  war  and,  though  his 
instructions  were  not  fully  carried  out,  over  a  third  were  so  enlisted. 
The  company  did  good  sei-vice  in  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  and  es- 
pecially in  the  battle  of  White  Plains  a  few  days  later;  it  formed  part 
of  the  rear  guard  in  the  retreat  through  the  Jerseys  and  displayed  such 
steadiness  at  Trenton  and  Princeton  as  to  attract  the  attention  of  Wash- 
ington to  its  youthful  commander,  who  became  his  aid-de-camp  with 
the  rank  of  lieutenant  colonel  the  following  March.  In  that  same 
month  it  was  definitely  transferred  to  the  line  organizations  and 
assigned  to  the  new  regiment  of  artillery  (Colonel  John  Lamb).  An- 
other artillery  company  raised  in  March  1776  was  under  the  command 
of  Captain  Sebastian  Bauman  and  was  also  transferred  to  the  Con- 
tinental establishment  and  to  Lamb's  regiment. 

The  Militia.  Just  as  the  Revolutionary  leaders  found  a  political 
organization  and  a  financial  system  which  they  could  take  over  and 
use,  with  few  though  important  changes,  so  they  found  a  military 
agency  ready  to  their  hand.    The  colonial  militia  was  an  old  institu- 


138  THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

tion.  The  militia  acts  were  for  a  limited  period  but  were  regularly 
renewed  and  so  the  organization  was  permanent.  Such  an  act,  as 
usual  for  3  years,  was  passed  by  the  colonial  Assembly  on  April  1, 
1775,  2  days  before  it  held  its  last  session,  and  gives  an  excellent  pic- 
ture of  the  system  inherited  by  the  Provincial  Congress. 

All  males  between  16  and  50  years  of  age  were  required  to  be 
enrolled  under  penalty  of  a  fine  and  regimental  commanders  were 
to  enforce  a  thorough  canvass  of  their  districts.  Besides  the  regular 
militia  organizations,  there  were  "troops  of  horse"  and  "independent 
companies"  in  the  cities  of  New  York  and  Albany.  In  addition  to  the 
arms,  ammunition  and  equipment  which  every  man  was  required  to 
furnish  for  himself,  the  "troopers"  had  to  provide  a  horse  and  an 
elaborate  uniform.  All  were  required  to  attend  two  training  days  a 
year,  one  of  these  a  regimental  gathering,  if  the  company  or  troop 
belonged  to  a  regiment.  Royal  and  civil  officers,  professional  men, 
firemen,  millers,  colliers,  furnace  men  and  slaves  were  exempted;  as 
were  also  Quakers.  Officers  were  appointed  by  the  Governor  and 
were  given  authority  to  impress  boats,  laborers  and  horses  in  time  of 
danger,  when  men  between  50  and  60  years  of  age  might  also  be 
called  into  service.  That  such  laws  prevailed  generally  through  the 
colonies  appears  from  the  militia  act  of  the  Continental  Congress, 
July  18,  1775,  whose  main  points  of  difference  were  the  appointment 
of  company  officers  by  the  men  and  of  regimental  officers  by  the  pro- 
vincial authorities,  and  the  organization  of  one-fourth  of  the  militia 
as  minutemen  ready  to  act  on  short  notice.  This  continental  act  pro- 
vided, however,  that  any  colony  having  its  own  militia  should  be  free 
to  follow  its  own  plans. 

The  Provincial  Congress  of  New  York  accordingly,  on  August  22, 
1775,  passed  its  own  militia  act,  based  upon  the  colonial  system.  In 
keeping  with  democratic  ideas,  the  officers  from  captain  down  were 
chosen  from  "associators"  by  the  men  of  each  company,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  two  committeemen  of  the  district.  The  names  of  the  officers 
chosen  were  to  be  forwarded  immediately  to  the  Provincial  Congress 
so  that  commissions  could  be  issued.  The  higher  officers,  however, 
were  appointed  and  commissioned  by  the  Provincial  Congress.  All 
officers  took  an  oath  of  loyalty  to  the  Continental  and  Provincial  Con- 
gresses. After  the  "whole  militia"  was  formed,  "every  fourth  man  of 
each  company"  was  asked  to  volunteer  as  one  of  the  "minute  men,"  who 
were  also  to  organize  into  companies  and  elect  their  own  officers.  All 
persons  who  refused  military  service  were  to  be  reported.  Regiments 
were  made  up  of  from  five  to  ten  militia  companies.  The  regiments 
were  organized  into  six  brigades — one  for  New  York,  Kings  and  Rich- 


NEW    YORK    ON    THE    BATTLEFIELD 


139 


mond;  one  for  Albany  and  Tryon;  one  for  Dutchess  and  Westchester; 
one  for  Ulster  and  Orange;  one  for  Queens  and  Suffolk;  and  one  for 
Charlotte,  Cumberland  and  Gloucester — each  under  a  brigadier  general 
with  a  major  of  brigade  as  adjutant.  A  major  general  was  "to  com- 
mand the  militia  of  the  colony." 

Each  militiaman  was  required  to  furnish  himself  with  a  gun  and 
"bayonet,  sword  or  tomahawk,"  ammunition  and  other  necessities, 
under  a  fine  of  5  shillings  for  a  gun  and  1  shilling  for  a  bayonet, 
sword  or  tomahawk.  He  was  to  keep  at  his  home  1  pound  of  powder 
and  3  pounds  of  bullets.  Each  company  of  militia  was  to  meet  the 
first  Monday  in  each  month  to  train  for  four  hours.  Regiments  were 
to  be  trained  2  days  each  year.  "The  several  companies  of  horse, 
already  formed  or  to  be  formed"  were  placed  under  the  colonels  of 
foot  and  "considered  a  part  of  such  regiment,"  and  were  also  to 
meet  for  training  as  frequently  as  the  foot  companies.  Each  trooper 
was  to  supply  his  own  horse  and  his  military  equipment  or  pay  a  fine. 
Discipline  was  enforced  by  fines  or  imprisonment,  and  the  fines  were 
to  be  used  to  equip  soldiers  too  poor  to  supply  themselves.  Royal 
ofl&cers,  members  of  the  congresses  and  local  committees  when  engaged 
in  public  service,  ministers,  doctors,  sheriffs,  jailors,  ferrymen,  one 
miller  for  each  mill,  and  Quakers  were  exempt,  except  in  case  of 
invasion. 


"  Tlie   Spirit   of   '76  " 

From   copyrighted   photograph   of  painting  on   exhibition   in   Majestic   Hotel 
Galleries,  New  York  City 

{By  permission  of  the  artist,  John  Wa/rd  Dunsmore) 


140  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

The  companies  of  "minutemen"  were  to  elect  officers  as  in  the  case 
of  the  militia  and  to  be  divided  into  four  sections  to  meet  weekly  for 
half  a  day,  or  at  least  4  hours,  for  drill,  and  the  whole  company  was 
to  assemble  every  fortnight.  "About  seven  companies"  were  to  con- 
stitute a  regiment,  and  the  regiments  were  to  be  formed  into  brigades. 
All  the  minutemen  were  placed  under  the  major  general  of  the  colony. 
They  were  given  the  pay  and  provisions  of  continental  forces  when 
called  out  for  active  service  and  were  subject  to  the  orders  of  the 
continental  commander  in  chief. 

In  case  of  an  alarm  or  invasion  every  man  "properly  armed"  was 
to  join  his  captain.  The  captain  was  to  march  his  company  against 
the  enemy  and  notify  his  superior  regimental  officer,  who  in  turn  was 
to  report  to  his  superior.  At  least  twice  a  year  captains  had  to  send 
to  their  colonels  a  true  list  of  the  men  in  their  companies,  and  the 
colonels  were  required  to  forward  a  copy  to  their  brigadier  general, 
who  in  turn  made  a  report  to  the  major  general  of  the  colony.  When 
leaving  a  district  on  an  alarm  or  an  invasion,  a  detachment  was  to 
be  left  "to  guard  against  the  insurrection  of  slaves,"  or  these  might 
be  taken  along  and  employed  "in  carrying  baggage,  dragging  cannon 
or  the  like."  In  case  any  committee  believed  the  public  security 
required  a  "military  watch,"  the  local  militia  was  required  to  serve. 
When  in  military  service  the  militia  was  subject  to  all  the  rules  of 
war  of  the  Continental  Congress. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  militia  in  New  York  at  the  outbreak  of 
the  Revolution  was  recruited  and  organized  as  under  the  royal  gov- 
ernment. The  chief  differences  were  in  the  election  of  the  minor 
officers  by  the  companies,  and  the  subjection  of  the  militia  to  corn- 
mittees  and  Congress.  Just  as  the  same  men  were  included,  so  it  is 
likely  that  the  earlier  officers,  not  Loyalists,  were  elected  or  reap- 
pointed. The  reorganization  of  the  militia  proceeded  slowly  but  by 
September  2,  1775,  the  Provincial  Congress  appointed  the  field  and 
staff  officers  for  four  regiments  in  Ulster  county.  A  draft  of  a  blank 
form  for  commissions  was  approved  on  September  7th  but  commis- 
sions were  not  issued  until  October  25th. 

Apparently  all  did  not  go  well  with  the  New  York  militia,  for  on 
December  18th  the  Provincial  Congress  asked  a  committee  of  four 
"to  revise  and  amend  the  militia  law"  at  once.  Two  days  later  the 
committee  reported  an  "appendix  to  the  rules  and  orders"  which  was 
agreed  to:  (1)  that  in  elections  of  officers,  militiamen  recognize 
seniority  so  far  as  consistent  with  "true  merit  and  ability";  (2)  that 
where  the  quota  of  volunteer  minutemen  was  lacking,  the  companies 
be  filled    "by    lot";     (3)    that    Dutchess    and   Westchester    have    two 


NEW   YORK    ON    THE    BATTLEFIELD 


141 


separate  brigades;  (4)  that  in  addition  to  the  regular  time  of  training, 
officers  induce  small  parties  to  meet  as  often  as  possible;  (5)  that 
men  over  50  years  of  age  be  armed  though  not  enrolled;  (6)  that  no 
new  troop  of  horse  be  formed  unless  ordered  by  Congress;  (7)  that 
the  minutemen  meet  twice  a  month  for  drill  and  receive  continental 
pay  for  the  second  one.  On  December  21st  the  county  militia  officers 
were  ranked  with  New  York  first  and  Gloucester  fourteenth.  The 
seven  brigadier  generals  were  also  ranked. 

The  only  important  change  in  militia  organization  took  place  in 
June  1776  when  minutemen^  as  a  body  distinct  from  the  "common 
militia.'"  were  abolished. 


"  The  Defense  of  Fort  Washington  —  1776  " 

From  copyrighted  photograph  of  painting  on  exhibition  in  the  Majestic  Hotel 
Galleries,  New  York  City 
{By  permission  0/  the  artist,  John  Wm'd  Dunsmore) 

The  Levies.  This  was  a  term  variously  used  to  indicate  (1)  drafts 
from  the  militia  organized  into  distinct  companies  and  regiments  for 
short  terms  of  service,  and  (2)  specific  organizations  enlisted  for  the 
defense  of  the  frontiers  in  1779  and  following  years. 

The  first  of  these  kinds  of  levies,  that  is,  detached  militia,  were 
called  out  at  all  times  of  emergency.  In  1776  the  counties  were 
called  upon  to  raise  their  quotas  by  volunteers  from  the  militia,  fill- 
ing deficiencies  by  draft;  these  troops  were  in  part  for  the  Canadian 
expedition  and  in  part  for  the  defense  of  New  York  City.  The  3000 
men  for  the  latter  service  were  placed  under  John  Morin  Scott  as 
brigadier  general.     The  militiamen  raised  in  northern  New  York  for 


Philip  Schuyler 
Schuyler  Mansion,  Albany,  N.  Y. 


NEW    YORK    ON    THE    BATTLEFIELD  143 

Canada  were  allowed  a  bounty  of  S4  each,  and  $2880  was  voted  for 
the  force  of  750  men.  which  the  Continental  Congress  ordered  raised. 
When  the  Highlands  were  threatened  one  fourth  of  the  militia  of  West- 
chester, Dutchess.  Ulster  and  Orange  was  called  out  on  July  16, 
1776,  on  a  bounty  of  S20  a  man  with  continental  pay  and  subsistence. 

As  time  went  on  and  the  need  of  troops  became  greater,  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress  on  August  10,  1776,  ordered  that  20  per  cent  of 
the  Albany  militia  be  drafted  and  sent  to  King's  Bridge  to  serve  for 
1  month.  In  Kings  and  Queens  50  per  cent  of  the  militia  was 
ordered  to  Nassau  Island  to  serve  until  September  1.  General  Morris 
was  ordered  to  call  out  his  whole  brigade,  the  militia  of  Orange, 
Dutchess  and  Ulster  was  to  be  prepared  for  a  summons,  and  General 
Clinton  was  put  in  charge  of  all  the  levies.  On  July  31,  1777,  the 
Council  of  Safety  decreed  that  since  "many  able-bodied  men"  secured 
exemption  from  military  service  under  the  militia  law  and  also  refused 
to  contribute  to  the  expense  of  the  cause,  in  future  drafts  all  men 
under  60  years  of  age  without  any  exception  should  be  enrolled. 
Exemptions  would  be  made  only  on  the  payment  of  an  assessment  in 
proportion  to  their  estates,  but  it  would  not  be  more  than  $10,  or  less 
than  $1  a  month  for  the  period  of  the  draft,  except  in  the  case  of 
civil  officials  and  ministers,  who  were  urged  to  make  voluntary  con- 
tributions. Continental  pay  was  extended  to  all  militia  called  into 
service.  Measures  were  also  passed  to  secure  better  discipline  and  a 
more  respectful  attitude  of  the  men  toward  the  officers. 

There  were  comparatively  few  instances  of  rebellion  on  the  part  of 
the  New  York  troops.  This  shows  that  they  were  generally  disposed 
to  support  the  Revolution.  Early  in  the  year  1777  some  of  the  militia 
of  Dutchess  and  Albany  counties  did  show  a  mutinous  spirit  and  a 
committee  was  sent  to  quell  the  disturbance.  After  the  leaders  were 
punished  by  fines,  the  discontent  subsided.  The  committee  spent  £252 
in  this  work. 

Of  the  other  class  of  levies,  constituting  the  organizations  to  which 
the  term  is  usually  applied,  the  first  example  was  the  700  men 
authorized  in  March  1778,  to  serve  until  January  1,  1779,  to  be  raised 
from  the  militia  of  the  counties  of  Westchester  and  Dutchess.  In 
March  1779  action  was  taken  to  raise  1000  men  to  be  divided  into 
two  corps,  of  which  Lieutenant  Colonels  Henry  K.  Van  Rensselaer 
and  Albert  Pawling  were  the  commanders;  other  regiments  were 
authorized  in  subsequent  years  and  were  known  by  the  names  of  the 
commanding  officers,  among  whom  we  find  the  names  of  Colonel 
Duboys  and  Lieutenant  Colonels  Harper,  Willett,  McKinstry  and  Weis- 
senfels.     The  period  of  service  was  usually  8  months  or  less  and  was 


Mrs    Philip  Schuyler 

(Courtesy  Neic  York  Historical  Society') 


NEW    YORK    ON    THE    BATTLEFIELD  145 

often  designated  as  ''for  the  defense  of  the  frontiers."  They  were 
rarely  gathered  together  as  regiments  but  garrisoned  frontier  forts  and 
blockhouses  in  detachments  of  a  few  companies,  single  companies  and 
very  frequently  even  smaller  units. 

Of  course  the  recruiting  of  troops  both  for  the  Continental  service 
and  for  the  levies  continued  throughout  the  war,  but  the  methods 
already  described  are  typical  of  later  methods.  There  were  some 
interesting  developments  of  the  bounty  system  in  the  later  years  of  the 
war.  As  the  offer  of  land  bounties  of  200  acres  failed  to  procure  the 
necessary  men  to  fill  the  ranks  of  the  line  and  levy  regiments,  the 
militia  was  divided  into  groups  or  "classes"  of  fifteen  men  or  less, 
varying  at  different  times  and  in  different  counties.  Each  class  was 
then  required  to  furnish  one  fully  equipped  soldier  for  the  line  or 
levy  service  and  could  make  any  arrangement  with  him  that  it  pleased 
and  found  necessary;  in  return  the  class  received  the  "right"  to  the 
"land  bounty"  offered  for  such  enlistment.  These  rights  were  trans- 
ferable and  the  lists  of  names  connected  with  "land  bounty  rights" 
are  therefore  only  records  showing  that  a  man  belonged  to  a  class 
which  furnished  a  man  for  service,  not  of  men  who  actually  served, 
though  these  same  men  undoubtedly  also  served  on  militia  calls  in 
many  cases.  Many  of  these  "rights"  came  by  purchase  into  the  hands 
of  men  of  means,  who  then  selected  state  lands  and  obtained  "certifi- 
cates of  location"  from  the  Surveyor  General,  and  later  military 
patents.  This  gave  rise  to  speculation  in  lands  from  which  some  made 
large  fortunes,  though  it  is  doubtful  whether  it  was  highly  profitable 
on  the  average. 

The  Navy.  It  is  not  generally  known  that  during  the  Revolution 
New  York  had  a  small  navy.  This  navy  operated  on  Lake  Champlain, 
on  the  Hudson  river  and  on  the  ocean.  Benedict  Arnold  with  a  small 
fleet  of  armed  vessels,  after  the  fall  of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point 
in  May  1775,  sailed  down  Lake  Champlain  and  captured  the  fort  at 
St  Johns.  In  the  summer  of  1776  after  the  disastrous  retreat  from 
Canada,  Arnold  built  another  fleet  to  check  the  invasion  of  Sir  Guy 
Carleton. 

Meanwhile  the  revolutionary  government  of  New  York,  complying 
with  instructions  from  the  Continental  Congress,  encouraged  the  equip- 
ment of  privateers  by  supplying  funds  for  this  phase  of  warfare.  On 
August  26,  1775,  English  vessels  with  military  stores  and  provisions 
were  forbidden  to  leave  the  port  of  New  York  without  a  permit.  Quite 
a  few  vessels  were  sent  abroad  to  exchange  wheat  for  military  sup- 
plies. A  marine  committee  was  appointed  to  supervise  the  privateers. 
Commissions  were  issued  to  at  least  twenty-four  privateers,  possibly 


Richard   Montgomery 


NEW  YORK  ON  THE  BATTLEFIELD  147 

more,  among  which  were  tlie  "Washington,"  "General  Schuyler," 
"General  Putnam,"  "Montgomery,"  "Congress,"  "Independence," 
"Revenge,"  "Retaliation,"  "Resolution,"  and  "Enterprise."  The 
names  of  many  of  the  captains  have  been  preserved,  as  well  as  other 
officers  and  enlisted  men.  In  addition  to  her  own  expenses.  New 
York  sent  a  bill  to  the  United  States  for  £2,715  to  pay  for  armed 
ships  sent  out  in  1776  and  1777. 

The  records  show  numerous  instances  where  these  privateers  cap- 
tured British  vessels,  some  of  them  having  valuable  cargoes.  The 
"Montgomery"  with  24  guns  under  Captain  William  Rogers  by  1777 
had  captured  eight  prizes,  with  a  total  value  of  £6933.  The  "General 
Schuyler,"  "Mifflin"  and  "Montgomery"  captured  a  brig  and  a  Ber- 
mudian  sloop.  The  "Nancy"  was  a  captured  British  vessel  which  was 
fitted  out  as  a  privateer.  As  late  as  1781  such  vessels  as  the  "Shark," 
"Porpoise,"  "Fox"  and  "Suffolk"  were  sent  out  as  privateers.  The 
seizure  of  the  port  of  New  York  in  1776  by  the  British,  however,  made 
privateering  by  New  York  captains  difficult  and  hazardous. 

While  Washington  was  preparing  to  drive  the  British  out  of  Boston, 
an  invasion  of  Canada  from  New  York  was  planned  for  the  capture 
of  Montreal  and  Quebec.  It  was  learned  that  Sir  Guy  Carleton, 
governor  of  Canada,  was  taking  steps  to  recover  Crown  Point  and 
Ticonderoga,  and  to  use  the  Iroquois  Indians  to  attack  the  frontier 
settlements  of  New  York.  The  Continental  Congress  authorized  the 
expedition  as  a  measure  of  self-defense.  Owing  to  the  illness  of  Gen- 
eral Philip  Schuyler,  commander  of  the  northern  department,  the 
hazardous  enterprise  was  confided  to  General  Richard  Montgomery. 
Leaving  Fort  Ticonderoga  the  latter  part  of  August  1775  with  the 
New  York  City  regiment  of  Colonel  Alexander  McDougall  and  three 
regiments  of  Connecticut  troops — about  1200  men  altogether — on 
September  12th  with  four  twelve-pounders  he  besieged  Fort  St  Johns, 
which  surrendered  after  holding  out  for  50  days. 

Montreal  was  taken  without  difficulty  on  November  12th  and  in  a 
proclamation  the  Canadians,  who  seemed  friendly  to  the  American 
cause,  were  urged  to  send  delegates  to  the  Continental  Congress. 
Montgomery  then  prepared  to  descend  the  St  Lawrence  with  his  small 
force  to  attack  Quebec.  Meanwhile  General  Benedict  Arnold,  in  one 
of  the  most  heroic  expeditions  of  the  Revolution,  marched  through 
the  wilderness  of  the  Maine  woods,  and  reached  Quebec  on  November 
13th  with  only  700  worn-out  men.  After  making  an  ineffectual  attack 
on  the  strong  fortress,  Arnold  was  forced  to  await  the  arrival  of 
Montgomery,  who  reached  Quebec  on  December  3d  with  about  500 
men.     After  failing  to  induce  the  enemy  to  come  out  for  battle,  it 


Nathan  Hale  Statue,  Citv  Hall  Park,  New  York 


NEW    YORK    ON    THE    BATTLEFIELD  149 

was  decided  to  carry  the  works  by  storm.  On  the  last  day  of  the  year 
1775  at  2  o'clock  in  the  morning,  in  a  terrific  snowstorm  the  assault 
was  made.  In  leading  the  main  attack  Montgomery  was  killed,  Arnold 
was  wounded,  and  Morgan  was  captured.  Arnold  wintered  in  the 
vicinity  of  Quebec  but  despite  reinforcements  in  the  spring  was 
forced  to  retreat,  stubbornly  contesting  every  step,  to  Crown  Point, 
leaving  Canada  in  the  hands  of  the  British.  Had  the  expedition  suc- 
ceeded, Canada  might  have  joined  the  United  States. 

During  the  summer  of  1776  Carleton  had  launched  a  fleet  on  Lake 
Champlain  and  was  taking  an  army  of  12,000  men  up  the  lake  to 
invade  New  York.  Meanwhile  Arnold  built  a  fleet  of  three  schooners, 
two  sloops,  three  galleys  and  eight  gondolas,  and  placed  seventy  guns 
on  them.  By  September  he  sailed  down  the  lake  to  Valcour  Island 
to  await  the  enemy.  On  October  11th  occurred  the  battle  of  Valcour 
Island — the  first  engagement  between  an  American  and  a  British  fleet. 
Arnold  put  up  a  gallant  fight,  and  got  his  men  back  to  Ticonderoga, 
although  he  left  Carleton  master  of  the  lake.  When  Carleton  ap- 
peared before  Fort  Ticonderoga  he  found  it  so  strongly  fortified  that 
instead  of  attacking  it  he  retreated  to  Canada. 

While  Arnold  was  leading  his  forces  back  to  Crown  Point,  Wash- 
ington on  March  17,  1776,  drove  the  British  out  of  Boston.  During 
the  spring  of  1776  the  patriots  of  New  York  were  in  a  state  of  anxiety. 

In  February  1776  General  Charles  Lee  was  sent  by  Washington  to 
New  York  to  supervise  the  defenses  there  and  with  him  went  a  regi- 
ment of  Connecticut  men  and  four  companies  of  New  Jersey  troops. 
Fort  George  was  destroyed  and  batteries  were  erected. 

The  failure  of  the  Canadian  expedition  opened  the  way  for  an  attack 
from  the  north.  The  warriors  of  the  Six  Nations  under  the  leadership 
of  Sir  John  Johnson,  Guy  Johnson  and  the  Butlers  were  raiding  the 
western  frontier  settlements.  Lord  Howe's  fleet  and  the  British  army, 
which  had  sailed  from  Boston  to  Halifax,  were  expected  to  return  and 
attack  New  York.  Washington  with  his  army  hurried  to  New  York 
which  he  reached  on  April  13th.  His  force,  however,  did  not  exceed 
8000  men  and  was  too  small  to  garrison  all  the  important  points 
around  the  city.  The  equipment  of  the  army  was  inadequate.  Con- 
gress had  ordered  a  levy  of  25,000  militia  from  New  England  and 
the  middle  states  and  20,000  of  them  soon  joined  Washington.  Gov- 
ernor Tryon  and  the  Loyalists  plotted  to  blow  up  the  magazines  and 
to  seize  Washington,  but  the  plot  was  discovered  and  frustrated. 

General  H^we  with  130  sail  and  10,000  men  reached  Sandy  Hook 
on  June  28th.  A  few  days  later  Lord  Howe,  his  brother,  reached 
New  York  with  German  soldiers  and  a  British  re^^iment.     When  Clin- 


^S'^'flSLr-,-^'-'- 


ffi 


o 


NEW    YORK    ON    THE    BATTLEFIELD 


151 


ton  and  Cornwallis  arrived  from  the  South  about  August  1st  the  whole 
British  force  was  over  31,000  men.  General  Howe  landed  on 
Staten  Island,  which  Washington  had  not  been  able  to  defend.  Failing 
to  induce  General  Washington  to  consider  terms  of  reconciliation, 
Howe  drew  his  sword  and  proceeded  to  carry  out  his  orders  to  take 
New  York  City,  while  Sir  Guy  Carleton  was  to  seize  the  upper  Hudson 
and  Mohawk  rivers. 


"I  Will  Face  the  Enemy" 

Herkimer   at   the   Battle   of   Oriskany    (August   6,   1777),   from   painting   by 
Frederick  C.   Yohn 

(Courtesy    Vtica   PuMic   Library) 

The  British  had  the  odds  greatly  in  their  favor.  Their  effective 
soldiers,  British  and  Hessian,  numbered  25,000  against  28,000  Amer- 
icans poorly  trained  and  equipped,  but  under  20,000  fit  for  duty  on 
August  27th.  The  British  held  the  harbor  with  their  navy  and  thus 
controlled  the  key  to  the  situation,  while  Washington  had  to  distribute 
his  troops  in  forts  around  the  city.  Since  Brooklyn  Heights  com- 
manded the  city,  much  as  Bunker  Hill  did  Boston,  he  stationed  Gen- 
eral Putnam  with  7000  men  were  behind  fortifications.  Howe  on 
August  22d  landed  15,000  men  on  Long  Island  near  the  Narrows. 
General  Sullivan  and  General  Stirling  with  5000  men  held  the 
advance  lines  between  the  British  army  and  Brooklyn  Heights.  Howe 
attacked  them  on  August  27th  in  front  and  rear,  captured  two  American 
generals  and  1100  officers  and  men,  and  routed  the  rest.  This  was 
the  battle  of  Long  Island.  On  the  night  of  August  29th  Washington, 
who  had  come  over  from  New  York,  with  great  difficulty,  but  aided 


n  [: 


Peter   Gansevoort 


NEW    YORK    ON    THE    BATTLEFIELD  .  153 

by  rains  and  a  fog,  took  the  army  with  all  the  stores,  horses  and 
baggage  across  the  river  to  the  Manhattan  side  —  a  brilliant  military 
maneuver. 

One  of  Howe's  critics  said  that  he  had  calculated  "with  the  greatest 
accuracy  the  exact  time  necessary  for  his  enemy  to  make  his  escape." 
Another  says  tliat  never  again  would  he  have  "so  golden  an  oppor- 
tunity to  end  the  war  with  a  single  stroke."  Lord  Howe  was  content 
with  the  lesson  he  had  taught  the  rebels  and  made  another  movement  for 
peace.  He  sent  the  captured  General  Sullivan  to  Philadelphia  as  a 
'"decoy  duck"  in  the  words  of  John  Adams,  to  ask  Congress  to  send 
some  of  their  members  to  confer  with  him  as  the  king's  peace  com- 
missioner. John  Adams,  Franklin  and  Rutledge  met  him  on  Staten 
Island  where  they  were  dined,  graciously  entertained  and  flattered. 
Howe  told  them  that  if  the  Declaration  of  Independence  were 
rescinded,  the  reforms  and  redress  of  grievances  which  they  demanded 
would  be  granted.  The  "olive  branch"  was  refused.  Lord  Howe  was 
a  warm  friend  of  America  and  made  a  last  effort  to  end  the  war  when 
on  September  19th  he  issued  a  proclamation  in  which  he  said  the 
British  government  was  willing  to  reconsider  the  obnoxious  acts 
which  had  precipitated  the  war  and  called  upon  all  fair-minded 
Americans  to  choose  between  this  humane  promise  and  the  suff^erings 
of  an  unrighteons  war. 

Four  days  after  the  futile  conference,  General  Howe  with  ease  took 
New  York  City.  Washington  and  Greene  wished  to  burn  the  city  but 
Congress  and  the  Council  of  War  vetoed  it.  The  American  forces  were 
withdrawn  to  Harlem,  after  some  risk  of  capture  by  the  British.  It 
is  said  that  Mrs  Lindley  Murray,  mother  of  the  famous  grammarian, 
saved  General  Putnam  and  4000  men  by  inviting  General  Howe  to 
luncheon.  Howe  halted  his  army  and  while  he  and  his  officers  were 
entertained  for  over  2  hours  by  their  shrewd  and  charming  hostess, 
Putnam's  division  guided  by  Aaron  Burr  escaped,  although  he  left  his 
heavy  guns,  tents  and  blankets  behind.  Washington  now  formed  his 
line  from  the  mouth  of  Harlem  river  across  the  island.  On  September 
16th  Howe  attacked  the  center  of  the  American  line  at  Harlem  Heights. 
The  line  was  dented  but  not  broken.  General  Putnam  was  in  com- 
mand of  Fort  Washington,  which  had  just  been  built,  and  the  Hudson 
river  was  obstructed.  It  was  at  this  time,  on  September  22,  1776, 
that  the  young  patriot,  Nathan  Hale,  was  arrested  as  a  spy  within  the 
British  lines.     He  acknowledged  his  role  and  was  hanged. 

Howe's  next  move  was  to  take  the  main  division  of  his  army  up  the 
East  river  on  October  12th  for  the  purpose  of  getting  in  the  rear  of  the 


Nicholas  Herkimer 


NEW    YORK    ON    THE    BATTLEFIELD  155 

Americans  and  also  of  cutting  off  communications  with  New  England. 
Seeing  the  trap.  Washington  moved  his  line  from  the  Harlem  river  to 
White  Plains  with  the  latter  as  his  base.  Nothing  was  left  to  Howe 
but  a  frontal  attack,  which  was  made  on  October  28th  and  is  known 
as  the  battle  of  White  Plains,  in  which  the  British  loss  was  much 
greater  than  the  American.  Howe  then  crossed  to  the  Hudson  and 
went  down  to  Dobbs  Ferry  where  he  threatened  Fort  Washington  and 
a  move  to  Philadelphia,  and  thus  hoped  to  draw  Washington  from 
his  strong  position  at  North  Castle.  To  meet  this  new  move  Wash- 
ington sent  Putnam  with  5000  men  across  to  New  Jersey.  Washington 
advised  Greene  to  have  Forts  Washington  and  Lee  evacuated  while  he 
went  up  to  inspect  the  new  fortress  in  the  Highlands.  Greene,  instead 
of  withdrawing  the  troops,  reinforced  Fort  Washington,  and  on  Novem- 
ber 16th  it  fell  and  2600  of  the  best  American  troops  were  taken 
prisoners,  giving  Howe  the  whole  island.  Washington  crossed  to  New 
Jersey  and  ordered  Lee  to  follow.  The  scene  of  war  now  shifted  from 
New  Tork  to  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania.  The  Revolution  entered 
its  darkest  and  gloomiest  period. 

The  British  military  strategy  for  1777  was  intended  to  complete 
the  plan  of  1776  which  in  part  had  failed.  Howe  had  captured  New 
York  City  and  still  held  it,  but  Carleton  had  not  taken  Crown  Point 
and  Ticonderoga.  The  Hudson-Lake  Champlain  line  with  its  lateral 
branch  up  the  Mohawk  was  to  be  seized.  This  would  connect  the  St 
Lawrence  with  the  ocean,  conquer  a  province  full  of  Loyalists,  and 
cut  New  England  off  from  the  rest  of  the  colonies.  The  plan  as 
drawn  out  in  London  on  a  map  of  North  America  looked  simple  and 
easy.  It  consisted  of  three  major  parts:  (1)  General  John  Burgoyne 
was  to  move  up  Lake  Champlain,  take  Forts  Crown  Point,  Ticon- 
deroga and  George,  and  then  follow  the  upper  Hudson  to  Albany. 
(2)  Colonel  Barry  St  Leger  with  a  smaller  force  was  to  go  up  the  St 
Lawrence  and  Lake  Ontario  to  Fort  Oswego  and  there  cut  across  New 
York  to  seize  Fort  Stanwix  on  the  upper  Mohawk,  and  to  march  down 
the  Mohawk  valley  to  Albany.  (3)  Sir  William  Howe  was  to  ascend 
the  Hudson  with  a  fleet  and  army,  capture  the  fortresses  on  that  river, 
take  possession  of  the  villages  and  meet  the  other  two  armies  at 
Albany. 

St  Leger  reached  Oswego  about  the  middle  of  July,  1777,  where  he 
was  joined  by  Sir  John  Johnson  and  Colonel  John  Butler  with  their 
Loyalist  followers,  and  a  force  of  Indian  warriors  led  by  Joseph 
Brant.  With  this  army  of  1700,  he  reached  Fort  Stanwix  on  August  3d. 
Early  that  morning,  says  Colbraith,  a  soldier  of  the  garrison  during 
6 


NEW  YORK  ON  THE  BATTLEFIELD  157 

the  siege,  "a  Continental  flag  made  by  the  officers  of  Colonel  Ganse- 
voort's  regiment  was  hoisted  and  a  cannon  leveled  at  the  enemy's 
camp  was  fired."  Tradition  has  it  that  this  was  the  stars  and  stripes, 
made  out  of  a  white  shirt,  an  old  blue  coat  and  the  red  petticoat  of 
a  soldier's  wife,  and  here  first  unfurled  in  the  face  of  the  enemy. 

Learning  of  the  danger  of  Fort  Stanwix,  General  Nicholas  Herkimer, 
a  veteran  of  60  years,  called  out  the  Tryon  county  militia  of 
which  he  was  commander  and  hurried  to  the  rescue.  By  August  5th, 
with  800  men  he  had  reached  Oriskany,  only  8  miles  distant.  Colonel 
Peter  Gansevoort  with  his  garrison  of  600  men  shouted  defiance  to 
St  Leger's  demand  to  surrender,  when  on  August  6th  he  heard  the 
rattle  of  musket  fire  to  the  eastward.  Explanation  came  when  three 
messengers  from  General  Herkimer  entered  the  fort  to  report  that 
he  planned  to  fall  upon  St  Leger's  rear  when  Gansevoort  attacked  in 
front.  Gansevoort  was  to  fire  three  guns  as  a  signal  for  Herkimer  to 
steal  upon  the  enemy  through  the  woods.  The  signal  guns  were  not 
fired,  Herkimer's  men  insisted  upon  going  ahead,  and  finally  the  old 
general  against  his  better  judgment  gave  the  order  to  advance. 

In  the  meantime  Brant's  Indian  scouts  reported  Herkimer's 
approach.  A  detachment  of  Johnson's  Greens  led  by  Watts,  and 
Brant  with  his  Indians,  were  sent  to  ambush  the  Mohawk  patriots. 
About  2  miles  west  of  Oriskany,  near  where  the  monument  now 
stands,  the  road  led  across  a  ravine  with  a  swampy  bottom  on  a 
causeway  of  logs.  The  banks  were  thickly  covered  with  trees  and 
underbrush  in  which  the  Loyalists  and  savages  concealed  themselves. 
The  main  body  of  troops  had  marched  down  into  the  ravine,  followed 
by  the  heavy  baggage  waggons,  while  the  rear  guard  was  still  at  the 
top  of  the  hill,  when  the  Americans  were  surprised  by  warwhoops  and 
a  deadly  volley  from  the  two  sides.  The  rearguard  had  to  retreat  to 
save  itself.  The  main  body  was  thrown  into  confusion.  The  resource- 
ful frontiersmen  soon  rallied  and  one  of  the  most  sanguinary  battles 
in  the  Revolution  took  place.  Neighbors  fought  neighbors  with  guns, 
knives,  clubs  and  their  fists.  The  carnage  was  frightful  and  indescrib- 
able. 

Early  in  the  conflict,  a  ball  killed  Herkimer's  horse  and  shattered 
his  own  leg.  The  stalwart  old  hero  had  the  saddle  taken  from  his 
dead  horse  and  placed  at  the  base  of  a  beech  tree.  Lighting  his  pipe, 
he  sat  down  on  the  saddle,  and  shouted  his  orders  to  his  comrades. 
To  make  matters  worse  on  this  memorable  August  6th,  the  rain  came 
down  in  torrents  accompanied  by  lurid  flashes  of  lightning  and  heavy 
claps  of  thunder.     The  savages  fled,  the  Loyalists  retreated,  and  the 


Benedict  Arnold 


NEW  YORK  ON  THE  BATTLEFIELD  159 

patriots  were  left  in  control  of  tlie  field.  But  it  was  said  that  every 
family  of  the  upper  Mohawk  had  lost  at  least  one  male  member  in 
this  ''most  obstinate  and  murderous"  battle. 

The  sun  came  out  through  the  wet  leaves.  The  three  signal  guns 
were  heard.  The  crackling  of  muskets  announced  that  the  expected 
sortie  from  the  fort  was  taking  place.  St  Leger's  camp  was  invaded  and 
seven  wagons  were  thrice  laden  with  food,  blankets,  clothes,  tools  and 
ammunition.  Five  British  standards  and  all  of  Johnson's  papers  were 
captured  and  the  British  flags  were  displayed  on  the  fort  and  above 
them  the  new  American  flag.  About  forty  surviving  wounded  pa- 
triots were  carried  back  to  Oriskany.  Among  these  was  the  cour- 
ageous General  Herkimer,  who  was  slowly  conveyed  to  his  home, 
where  on  account  of  the  unskilled  treatment  of  his  wound  he  died  a 
few  days  later  propped  up  in  bed,  calmly  smoking  his  consoling  Ger- 
man pipe,  and  reading  the  38th  Psalm  in  the  big  family  Bible. 

The  battle  of  Oriskany  and  the  bold  sortie  of  the  garrison  of  Fort 
Stanwix,  or  Fort  Schuyler  as  the  patriots  for  a  time  called  it,  pre- 
vented St  Leger  from  attempting  the  conquest  of  the  Mohawk  valley. 
The  resistance  of  the  garrison,  the  fickleness  of  the  Indians,  and  finally 
the  arrival  of  General  Arnold  with  1200  men,  sent  at  the  personal 
solicitation  of  Colonel  Willett,  who  made  a  hazardous  journey  to 
Schuyler's  headquarters,  caused  St  Leger  and  Sir  John  Johnson  on 
August  22d  to  beat  a  hasty  retreat  to  Oswego,  leaving  all  their  tents, 
stores  and  artillery  in  the  hands  of  the  Americans.  Only  a  remnant 
of  the  army  reached  Montreal.  Thus  the  important  western  part  of 
the  British  strategy  of  1777  failed.  Arnold  and  the  Mohawk  militia 
were  free  to  join  the  forces  against  Burgoyne. 

To  General  John  Burgoyne  was  entrusted  the  invasion  and  conquest 
of  New  York  by  way  of  Lake  Champlain  and  the  upper  Hudson  river. 
On  June  1,  1777,  he  took  the  field  with  7902  men,  of  whom  4135 
were  British  regulars,  3116  German  troops  under  Baron  Riedesel,  148 
Provincials  (native  Canadians  and  Loyalists  from  New  York  and 
New  England)  and  503  Indians.  To  these  should  be  added  several 
hundred  Loyalists,  not  part  of  the  military  establishment. 
With  him  were  some  of  the  ablest  English  and  German  officers 
in  the  war.  On  July  1st  he  appeared  before  Ticonderoga, 
which  was  defended  by  St  Clair  with  3000  patriots.  By  July 
5th  the  Americans  were  surprised  to  see  Mount  Defiance  swarm- 
ing with  redcoats  and  bristling  with  cannon.  This  alertness  and 
resourcefulness  of  the  enemy  threw  them  into  a  panic.  St  Clair  under 
cover  of  night  took  his  army  across  the  lake  to  Vermont,  saving  such 


NEW    YORK   ON    THE    BATTLEFIELD  161 

guns  and  stores  as  he  could  carry  and  leaving  the  rest  behind.  The 
British  took  possession  of  the  empty  fortress  and  General  Fraser  with 
900  men,  followed  by  General  Riedesel  with  his  Germans,  hurried 
forward  to  catch  up  with  the  fleeing  Americans  on  their  way  to  Castle- 
ton  and  Fort  Edward.  Leaving  1000  men  in  Fort  Ticonderoga,  Bur- 
goyne  started  up  Lake  Champlain  with  his  main  army. 

The  fall  of  Fort  Ticonderoga  was  greeted  with  joy  in  England. 
"The  Americans  have  no  men  of  military  science,"  wrote  Burgoyne. 
'T  have  beat  all  the  Americans!"  exclaimed  George  III  to  the  queen 
when  he  heard  the  news.  The  patriots  were  indignant  and  despondent. 
The  president  of  the  board  of  war  declared:  "We  shall  never  be  able 
to  defend  a  post  until  we  shoot  a  general!"  General  Schuyler  was 
blamed  for  the  disaster.  St  Clair  was  later  tried  before  a  court 
martial  but  vindicated.  It  was  General  Gates  who  was  at  fault  in 
not  fortifying  Mount  Defiance  for  he  had  been  in  charge  of  Fort 
Ticonderoga  until  June  1776  and,  although  his  attention  had  been 
called  to  the  danger,  he  ridiculed  it. 

By  July  10th  Burgoyne's  entire  force  was  at  Whitehall,  the  head  of 
Lake  Champlain,  only  twenty  miles  from  Fort  Edward,  the  American 
camp.  With  the  humble  ax,  saw,  sledge,  spade  and  crowbar,  Schuyler 
obstructed  the  poor  road  with  fallen  trees  and  at  places  flooded  it  and 
destroyed  the  bridges  and  footlogs.  So  well  was  this  work  done  that 
Burgoyne's  advance  averaged  only  a  mile  a  day.  Not  until  July  30th 
did  he  reach  Fort  Edward,  only  to  find  that  Schuyler  had  crossed  the 
Hudson  and  retreated  to  Stillwater.  This  was  a  wise  precaution  but 
Schuyler  was  denounced  for  not  risking  battle.  Meanwhile  the  militia 
of  New  York  and  New  England  were  hurrying  to  join  Schuyler,  and 
the  Vermont  militia  was  menacing  the  British  rear.  The  patriots 
destroyed  their  crops  and  drove  away  their  horses  and  cattle.  Little 
aid  was  given  to  Burgoyne  by  the  Loyalists  on  whom  he  had  counted 
so  much.  The  barbarities  of  the  Indians,  and  particularly  the  cruel 
murder  of  Jane  McCrea,  aroused  the  patriots  to  fury  and  a  vow  of 
revenge.  From  far  and  near  the  farmers  and  their  sons  seized  their 
weapons  and  rushed  to  Schuyler's  aid. 

Burgoyne  began  to  feel  the  need  of  horses,  cattle  and  food.  Learn- 
ing of  supplies  at  Bennington  in  Vermont,  Colonel  Baum  with  500 
Germans  and  100  Indians  and  some  Loyalists  and  British  regulars  was 
sent  to  seize  them  on  August  13th.  The  next  day  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Breyman  with  500  more  Germans  was  hurried  forward  to  support 
him.  The  battle  occurred  at  Walloomsac,  within  the  present  bound- 
aries of  New  York,  on  August  16th.     Colonel  Baum  was  surrounded 


NEW    YORK    ON    THE    BATTLEFIELD 


16: 


and  defeated,  as  was  also  Breyman's  force.  It  was  a  complete 
and  brilliant  victory,  and  did  much  to  revive  drooping  spirits 
of  the  Americans.  General  Stark  was  the  hero  of  the  hour.  More 
recruits  poured  into  Schuyler's  camp.  Meanwhile  news  of  Oriskany 
and  St  Leger's  retreat  was  received  with  joy.  Arnold  hurried  back 
from  the  Mohawk.  Morgan  arrived  with  his  famous  riflemen, 
and  Putnam  came  up  from  the  Highlands  with  reinforcements.  There 
w'as  keen  disappointment,  however,  when  General  Gates  arrived  on 
August  2d  with  orders  from  Congress  to  supersede  General  Schuyler. 
On  September  13th  General  Burgoyne  on  a  bridge  of  boats  crossed 
the   Hudson    to    the   west    bank   and   prepared   for   battle.     The   first 


TKe 

BUFGOYNE  CAMPAIGN 

OF      1777 


CONN. 


West  Point"*\"f<'rt  Constitution 
'ort  MoDtj^omerji^  Fort  Independence 
»Tort  CUDtotffe*  \ 

-^:; h '2 


Map  of  Burgoyne  Campaign 


\^y  7. 


NEW    YORK    ON    THE    BATTLEP'IELD 


165 


day  of  the  conflict  occurred  on  September  19th  at  Freeman's  farm, 
and  might  have  been  decisive  had  Gates  acted  with  more  aggression 
and  wisdom.  As  it  was,  the  outcome  proved  to  be  a  deadlock.  Bur- 
goyne  now  waited  for  news  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton's  ascent  of  the 
Hudson  river.  Meanwhile  the  Vermonters  had  cut  off  the  communica- 
tion of  supplies  of  Burgoyne  to  the  northward.  Food  was  scarce  in 
the  British  camp.  The  recruits  to  the  American  army  were  increasing 
daily,   and  now  numbered  16.000.     In  this  serious   predicament  Bur- 


Map   of   the   Battle  of   Bennington 

goyne  resolved  to  make  an  attempt  to  break  through  the  American 
lines.  The  second  battle  _of  Saratoga  took  place  on  October  7th  and 
the  British  were  totally  defeated.  Burgoyne  gathered  his  broken 
forces  and  slowly  retreated  only  to  find  himself  completely  sur- 
rounded by  foes.     On  October  17th  he  surrendered. 

It  will  be  well  now  to  see  what  happened  to  the  third  part  of  the 
military  campaign  for  1777.  The  conquest  of  the  Hudson  valley  was 
as  vital  as  the  triumph  of  Burgoyne.  The  success  of  the  enterprise 
depended  upon  the  action  of  the  two  movements    at    the    same  time. 


^•*^ 


r^'-'%»«N*' 


Daniel  Morgan 


Sir  Guy  Carleton 


NEW    YORK    ON    THE    BATTLEFIELD  167 

Burgoyne  had  positive  instructions.  It  is  now  known  that  Howe  was 
also  to  receive  similar  orders  but  Lord  George  Germain  forgot  to 
send  them,  hence  Howe  thought  he  had  discretionary  power.  There- 
fore; instead  of  moving  toward  Albany,  he  started  for  Philadelphia. 
The  expedition  up  the  Hudson  was  entrusted  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton, 
who  waited  for  the  arrival  of  3000  soldiers  from  England  and  did 
not  make  a  start  till  October  5th.  Within  3  days  he  had  captured 
Forts  Montgomery,  Clinton  and  Constitution  in  the  Highlands  and 
thus  opened  the  river  to  Albany.  His  message  to  Burgoyne  was  inter- 
cepted. The  news  of  Burgoyne's  defeat  was  so  disheartening  that 
after  burning  Kingston,  Clinton  dismantled  the  fortresses  and  hastened 
back  to  New  York  City. 

Saratoga  was  the  most  important  military  engagement  between 
Lexington  and  Yorktown.  Not  only  was  it  the  decisive  battle  of  the 
Revolution  but  it  has  gone  down  in  history  as  one  of  the  fifteen 
decisive  battles  in  world  history.  It  changed  the  rebellion  into  a 
Revolution  in  the  eyes  of  other  nations.  If  called  forth  forces  that 
created  a  nation.  It  gave  the  Americans  a  new  confidence  that  enabled 
them  to  prolong  the  war  until  victory  came  in  1783.  It  brought  more 
recruits  with  a  finer  morale  into  Washington's  army.  It  knit  the  colon- 
ies together  in  a  closer  union.  It  raised  up  new  friends  in  Great 
Britain,  among  them  even  General  Burgoyne.  It  gave  America  pres- 
tige and  credit  abroad  on  which  badly  needed  loans  of  money  were 
secured.  And  finally  it  brought  into  the  struggle  on  the  American 
side,  first  France  and  then  other  nations  and  thus  practically  insured 
victory  for  the  American  cause. 

The  year  1778  was  comparatively  quiet  in  a  military  way  in  the 
Hudson  valley.  The  British  held  New  York  City  and  the  surrounding 
territory,  but  the  Americans  were  in  complete  control  of  the  strategic 
line  from  the  metropolis  to  Canada.  They  were  cut  off  from  the 
ocean  but  found  ports  in  neighboring  states.  This  year  saw  the  devas- 
tating raids  of  the  Butlers  and  their  Loyalists  and  Indian  allies  on 
the  western  frontier  settlements.  No  other  state  bore  the  brunt  of 
border  warfare  to  a  greater  degree  than  did  New  York,  With  the 
exception  of  about  half  of  the  Oneidas  and  some  of  the  Tuscaroras,  the 
entire  Iroquois  league  sided  with  the  British.  With  firebrand,  scalping 
knife  and  tomahawk  they  hung  "like  the  scythe  of  death"  on  the  fron- 
tier settlements.  Sir  John  Johnson,  Guy  Johnson  and  John  and  Walter 
Butler  were  influential  men  in  the  Mohawk  valley  and  induced  many  of 
the  colonists  to  oppose  the  Revolution.  Johnson's  tenants,  Scotch 
Highlanders  and  Irish,  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  Loyalist  soldiers, 
organized  as  the  Royal  Greens  and  Butler's  Rangers.  The  Indian  chief, 
Joseph  Brant,  lead  the  Indians. 


L^e'n.M^x:^  4J(^^^4tt&^   ^-fii^e^  0€.ix^<^-^ /f   /a^^ 


■a^-tu  /fte-n-i 


f(yy 


//{^  y^^y^<^^  €^^^^'£^^€^^>^>^^'^  i:^4^^>^^^ 


^'€^n^€<^' 


-«(&«/ 


i*^<i^  Je.  A-^tiTi/^x^HX^    c^S^ 


<3i/rvnt^  » 


Burgoyne  Orderly  Book  Entry  of  September  18,  1777,  just  before  the  Battles 

of   Saratoga 

(From  original  in  Neiv  York  State  Library) 


NEW    YORK    ON    THE    BATTLEFIELD  169 

In  May  1778  Cobleskill,  a  settlement  of  about  twenty  families,  was 
plundered  and  burned.  Many  of  the  settlers  were  killed,  and  the 
remainder  escaped  to  Schoharie.  In  June  Springfield  at  the  head  of 
Otsego  lake  was  burned  and  the  men  and  livestock  were  driven  away 
as  spoils  of  war.  In  July  Andrustown  near  German  Flats  was  burned. 
Some  of  the  inhabitants  were  killed  and  others  taken  prisoner.  In 
September  German  Flats  was  laid  waste  for  10  miles  along  the 
Mohawk  river.  In  October  Unadilla  was  burned  to  the  ground,  and 
4000  bushels  of  corn  were  destroyed.  In  November  the  massacre  of 
Cherry  Valley  occurred,  in  which  thirty-two  persons  were  slain.  The 
whole  frontier  was  terrorized  by  these  depredations.  The  men  took 
up  arms  and  heroically  defended  their  homes,  wives  and  children,  but 
in  such  a  vast  wilderness  were  unable  to  defeat  the  wily  foe.  Piteous 
were  the  appeals  to  the  State,  to  the  county  committees,  to  the  military 
leaders  and  to  Congress  for  armed  troops. 

The  next  year,  1779,  a  raid  was  organized  against  the  Indians. 
When  General  Gates  curtly  refused  the  appointment,  to  General  Sul- 
livan was  assigned  the  task  of  raising  5000  men  and  of  making  an 
expedition  of  400  miles  through  the  wilderness  to  attack  the  savages. 
General  James  Clinton  was  in  charge  of  the  New  York  wing  of  this 
army.  He  sent  Colonel  Van  Schaick  from  Albany  with  585  men  to 
punish  the  Onondagas.  These  Indians  were  dispersed,  some  were 
killed,  thirty-nine  were  taken  prisoners,  and  their  village  and  supplies 
were  burned.  Meanwhile  the  Indians  retaliated  by  attacking  Minisink 
on  July  20th.  General  Clinton  moved  his  troops  from  the  Mohawk 
valley  by  way  of  Otsego  lake  to  join  General  Sullivan  on  the  Susque- 
hanna. Colonel  Daniel  Brodhead  was  to  come  up  from  Pittsburgh  to 
cooperate  with  Sullivan.  On  August  28th  Clinton  and  Sullivan 
joined  forces.  With  about  3500  men  the  expedition  began.  The 
Indians  and  Tories  sought  in  every  way  to  impede  its  progress,  but 
at  last  the  Genesee  country  was  reached.  Forty  Seneca  and  Cayuga 
Indian  villages  and  160,000  bushels  of  corn  and  beans  were  burned. 
The  plum,  peach  and  apple  orchards  were  destroyed.  Gardens  were 
laid  waste.  Hogs  and  chickens  were  taken  for  food.  Sullivan  had 
been  ordered  to  proceed  to  Niagara  and  capture  that  British  post, 
but  the  season  was  so  far  advanced  that  he  did  not  attempt  the  under- 
taking. A  terrible  punishment,  however,  had  been  inflicted  on  the 
red  men  for  their  loyalty  to  the  British  crown  and  for  their  maraud- 
ing raids  in  1777  and  1778.  The  confederacy  never  recovered  from 
the  blow.  This  expedition  helped  to  establish  the  western  boundaries 
after  the  war  ended.  On  the  lower  Hudson  the  American  cause  was 
strengthened  by  the  storming  of  the  fortress  on  Stony  Point  by  Gen- 


/ 


Sir  Henry   Clinton 


NEW    YORK    ON    THE    BATTLEFIELD 


171 


eral  "Mad"  Anthony  Wayne  on  Jnly  15,  1779,  and  die  capture  of  543 
prisoners. 

The  year  1780  witnessed  raids  by  Indians  and  Tories  on  the 
Mohawk,  Carleton's  raid  on  the  upper  Hudson,  and  Arnold's  treason 
on  the  lower  Hudson.  In  revenge  for  Sullivan's  expedition  the  pre- 
ceding year  a   party   of   Indians   and   Tories  burned   Riemensnyder's 


Silas  Town  Monument  on  Spy  Island,  Lake  Ontario 


Bush  on  April  3d  and  carried  off  nineteen  prisoners.  Harpersfield 
was  destroyed  on  April  5th  and  a  few  prisoners  were  taken.  Little 
Falls  was  attacked  in  June  but  with  small  damage.  Canajoharie  was 
burned  on  August  2d,  about  seventy  settlers  were  killed  or  captured, 
and  300  horses  and  cows  were  seized.  The  Schoharie  valley  was 
raided  October  16th  but  the  forts  were  not  taken.  The  Mohawk  valley 
from  Fort  Hunter  to  Fort  Plain    was    devastated,  and    Colonel    John 


172 


THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 


Brown  with  150  men  was  defeated  at  Stone  Arabia  on  October  19th 
while  the  neighboring  farms  were  plundered.  The  marauders  were 
attacked  by  General  Robert  Van  Rensselaer  at  St  Johnsville,  but 
escaped  to  the  Unadilla  valley. 


^"^^''^^"'.y^^  ^^^y^^r.^ >y^/^-^^29< //^^\ 


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■/<!^^^  /  //A^f 'fi^^&.^r^c/i' 


/ 


/'- 


British  Record  of  Execution  of  Nathan  Hale 

{Courtesy  New  York  Historical  Society) 

In  the  year  1781  the  disturbances  on  the  frontier  continued.  On 
June  30th  Currietown,  3  miles  back  from  the  Mohawk  river,  was 
attacked  by  300  Indians  and  a  few  Tories  led  by  John  Doxstader. 
The  place  was  set  on  fire,  several  persons  were  killed,  and  the  rest  of 
the  people  made  prisoners.  This  marauding  party  was  attacked  at 
Sharon   Springs  by   Colonel  Willett  and   Captain   McKean   with   162 


NEW    YORK    ON    THE    BATTLEFIELD 


173 


men  and  put  lo  lliiihl  with  a  loss  of  forty.  During  the  summer, 
Ulster,  Schoharie  and  Herkimer  counties  were  frequently  annoyed  by 
small  parties  of  Indians  and  Loyalists.  The  last  battle  of  the  Revolu- 
tion on  JNew  York  soil  was  fought  October  25th  near  Johnstown. 
Major  Ross  and  Walter  Butler  with  600  Loyalists  and  Indians  moved 
from  Oswego  to  Warren's  Bush,  the  first  home  of  Sir  William  Johnson, 
killed  two  men.  burned  twenty  houses  and  destroyed  much  grain 
before  Colonel  Willett  with  400  men  could  hurry  from  Fort  Rensselaer 
to  their  aid.     When  he  arrived  at  Fort  Hunter,  he  learned  that  Ross 


Surrender  of  Burgoyne,  October   17,   1777 


had  gone  to  Johnstown  and  started  after  him.  The  battle  took  place 
just  north  of  the  village,  and  was  fierce  and  sanguinary.  Attacked  in 
front  and  rear  the  enemy  after  early  success  fled  in  disorder.  Willett 
was  soon  in  hot  pursuit  and  made  another  attack  on  Ross's  men  at 
Jerseyfield,  where  Walter  Butler  met  his  death.  Cornwallis  had  sur- 
rendered at  Yorktown  a  few  days  before  the  battle  of  Johnstown. 

It  was  a  great  relief  to  the  border  settlements  to  have  the  war 
ended.  Tryon  county  alone,  it  is  said,  lost  many  lives,  had  700 
buildings  burned  and  150,000  bushels  of  wheat  destroyed,  had  12,000 
farms  abandoned,  and  counted  380  widows  and  2000  fatherless 
children. 

After  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown  in  1781,  Washington 
returned   to   New  York  and  took   up   his   headquarters  at  Newburgh. 


NEW    YORK    ON    THE    BATTLEFIELD 


175 


The  military  operations  were  of  little  consequence.  Both  sides  knew 
that  peace  was  near. 

The  oflScial  copy  of  peace  reached  New  York  City  on  November  19, 
1783. 

At  Tappan  on  May  6,  1783,  Washington  met  Carleton  and  Digby 
to  plan  evacuation,  and  in  June  tlie  Continental  Congress  appointed  a 
committee  to  cooperate.  The  evacuation  took  place  on  November 
25th.  Washington,  Knox  and  Clinton  marched  into  New  York  City. 
The  American  flag  was  run  up  and  thirteen  guns  fired.  By  December 
5th  the  harbor  was  cleared  of  British  flags. 

For  various  reasons  it  is  impossible  to  give  an  absolutely  correct 
total  of  the  number  of  New  York  soldiers  in  the  Revolution.  The 
records  have  not  been  preserved  intact  but  have  perished  by  fire  and 


Route  of  Sir  John  Johnson,  1780 


NEW  YORK  ON  THE  BATTLEFIELD  177 

by  neglect.  In  the  lists  preserved,  names  are  duplicated  because  men 
were  continually  changing  from  one  organization  to  another  and 
names  were  so  carelessly  written  that  identification  is  impossible.  No 
doubt  men  from  New  York  joined  regiments  of  other  states  and  hence 
their  names  do  not  appear  on  the  New  York  records.  Prior  to  the 
establishment  of  the  State  Government,  which  did  not  function  prop- 
erly until  1778,  there  are  almost  no  records  of  the  service  of  the 
militia  and  this  includes  the  crucial  year  of  1777.  State  Archives 
compiled  by  Berthold  Fernow  and  published  in  1887,  list  about 
40,000  names.  New  York  in  the  Revolution  as  Colony  and  State, 
second  edition,  compiled  from  records  then  in  the  o£&ce  of  the  State 
Comptroller,  gives  a  total  of  43,645  soldiers.  For  the  whole  period 
of  the  war,  including  all  individuals  who  saw  actual  military  service, 
and  allowing  both  for  names  that  do  not  appear  and  those  which  are 
duplicated,  this  number  is  probably  approximately  correct.  One  must 
remember,  however,  that  at  no  time  were  that  number  of  men,  or  any 
large  percentage  of  them,  actively  engaged.  The  number  in  service 
varied  greatly  from  year  to  year  and  the  maximum  number  was 
under  arms  in  1777  at  the  battle  of  Saratoga. 

The  strategic  importance  of  New  York  was  fully  appreciated  by  the 
British  and  the  patriots  alike.  It  is  a  fact  of  no  slight  significance 
that  out  of  the  308  battles  and  engagements  of  the  Revolution,  92,  or 
nearly  one-third,  took  place  on  New  York  soil.  What  this  meant  in 
the  destruction  of  property,  in  the  loss  of  life,  in  terror  and  turmoil; 
in  demoralization  and  discouragement,  and  in  costs  direct  and  indirect 
may  to  some  slight  extent  be  imagined  but  cannot  be  fully  reali:^ed. 
At  the  same  time,  in  no  other  state  were  the  Loyalists  and  Indiaiis  so 
active  in  waging  guerrilla  warfare  and  in  frontier  massacres.  Finally, 
no  other  state  had  its  chief  city  and  only  seaport  continuously  in  the 
possession  of  the  enemy  after  the  summer  of  1776,  thus  cortipletely 
cutting  off  all  communication  by  water  and  threatening  an  invasion 
of  the  interior  by  water  as  well  as  by  land.  From  1775  to  1783  the 
people  of  New  York  were  in  perpetual  fear  of  attacks  by  the  British 
navy,  British  armies,  the  Loyalists  and  the  Indians.  The  population 
of  the  metropolis  in  1776  was  20,000,  but  after  the  evacuation  by  the 
British  and  Loyalists  in  1783  it  dropped  to  10,000.  Nor  was  this 
State  at  that  time  the  Empire  State  in  population.  Ranking  on'ty 
eighth  among  the  thirteen  colonies,  its  population  of  185,000  consti- 
tuted about  6  per  cent  of  the  population  of  the  Union.  A  small  state 
in  population,  but  tremendously  important  because  of  its  strategic  situa- 
tion, that  situation  brought  upon  it  such  a  burden  of  war  as  was  not 
felt  by  any  other  of  the  United  States. 


Marquis  de  Lafayette 

(Courtesy  Neio  York  Historical  Society) 


VIII 

HOW  NEW  YORK  SUPPLIED  THE  ARMIES 

The  noncombatants  of  New  York  made  their  contributions  to  the 
military  victory  of  the  Revolution  in  money,  food,  clothing,  arms  and 
ammunition.  This  entailed  labor  and  deprivations  on  the  part  of 
civilians  that  merit  praise.  It  is  rather  difficult  to  realize  that  salt 
pork,  wheat,  linen,  wool  and  leather  were  as  necessary  to  the  conduct 
of  the  war  as  guns  and  powder,  but  such  was  the  case.  It  took  the 
spirit  of  self-sacrifice  and  a  supreme  faith  in  the  American  cause  to 
induce  the  farmers  to  exchange  their  products  for  paper  promises 
that  were  almost  worthless  before  the  war  had  progressed  very  far. 


Lead   Pencils 
Found  on  Revolutionary  Camp  Sites 

{Courtesy  Neiv  York  Historical  Society) 

It  has  been  estimated  that  the  patriots  by  selling  produce  to  the 
United  States  for  paper  money  lost  about  $40,000,000.  New  York's 
share  of  that  loss  would  approximate  $5,000,000. 

The  whole  problem  of  equipping  and  supplying  the  troops  was 
attacked  in  a  businesslike  manner.  The  first  step  was  to  organize  an 
efficient  agency  to  superintend  the  work.  Hence  on  June  2,  1775,  just 
a  little  more  than  3  weeks  after  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown 
Point,  Peter  T.  Curtenius,  an  experienced  New  York  merchant,  was 
appointed  commissary  of  the  Provincial  Congress  for  the  whole 
colony.  By  February  10,  1776,  his  duties  were  so  heavy  that  he  was 
relieved  of  the  supervision  of  New  York  City  and  county,  and  Richard 
Norwood    was    given    charge    as    commissary    of    military    stores    in 

[179] 


(^^^^ 


MILITARY    SUPPLIES  181 

that  area.  In  March  of  that  year  there  had  been  collected  in  New 
York  City  106  barrels  of  pork,  97  barrels  of  beef,  2694  barrels  of 
flour,  and  32'V2  tons  of  bar  iron.  On  August  8,  1776,  Curtenius  was 
allowed  £5000  on  account.  He  was  compensated  by  a  commission  of 
from  1  per  cent  to  IV2  per  cent  on  purchases  and  was  allowed  his 
expenses.  If  he  advanced  his  own  funds,  he  was  to  receive  interest 
on  his  money.  Norwood  was  paid  $1814  ^  month  for  his  services. 
These  commissaries  took  their  orders  directly  from  the  supreme 
political  body  in  New  York,  to  which  reports  were  made  from  time 
to  time.  On  May  9,  1777,  John  Lasher  was  selected  as  state  com- 
missioner of  military  stores  at  a  salary  of  £200  a  year.  County  com- 
mittees acted  on  their  own  initiative  and  did  not  always  wait  for 
instructions  from  the  commissary.  For  instance,  on  June  22,  1775, 
the  Albany  county  committee  ordered  the  Schenectady  committee  to 
supply  20  wagons  "on  the  public  credit"  to  carry  provisions  to  Lake 
George. 

As  early  as  May  29,  1775,  the  Schenectady  committee  called  a  mass 
meeting  to  find  out  who  had  arms  and  ammunition.  The  committee 
later  forbade  the  waste  of  powder  in  celebrating  New  Year's  Day. 

Curtenius  had  a  staff  of  assistants  consisting  of  one  agent,  three 
deputies,  seventeen  subcommissaries,  eight  commissaries  of  purchases 
and  numerous  storekeepers  and  clerks.  W-hen  Abraham  Livingston 
accepted  the  contract  for  victualling  the  troops,  a  bond  of  £30,000 
was  required  in  1776  and  he  was  voted  £5000  to  make  purchases. 
John  Wiley,  appointed  commissary  of  purchases  in  1780,  was  supplied 
with  such  sums  as  £100,000  and  £150,000.  David  Currie  received 
£19,000  between  1777  and  1779  to  supply  the  continental  troops  with 
articles  not  allowed  by  the  Commissary  General,  and  his  purchases 
included  port  wine,  brandy,  rum,  sugar,  chocolate,  pepper,  coffee  and 
tobacco  as  well  as  the  staple  articles  of  food.  The  items  for  beer, 
rum  and  liquors  were  numerous.  Beer  was  supplied  at  public  expense 
"to  encourage  the  people  to  enlist;"  rum  was  served  as  a  ration  to 
encourage  the  soldiers  to  work;  and  charges  for  rum  "for  the  use 
of  the  public"  were  common.  Tea  was  used  also  as  a  beverage  for 
the  troops.  In  1779  the  Continental  Congress  asked  the  states  to 
supply  army  officers  with  rum,  sugar  and  tea. 

A  State  Agent  was  created  in  1780  and  the  office,  which  was  filled 
by  Colonel  Udny  Hay,  was  continued  till  the  spring  of  1783.  His 
salary  was  £800  a  year.  His  duties  were  diverse  and  multitudinous. 
As  general  purchasing  agent  and  paymaster,  and  also  deputy  quarter 
master  general  of  the  United  States,  he  handled  large  sums  of  money 
for  both  the  State  and  Nation.  He  bought  paper  for  the  "new  money," 


182  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

and  paid  the  salaries  of  the  Governor's  secretary  and  legislators.  He 
made  a  plea  to  the  people  for  a  supply  of  beef  for  the  army  and  was 
authorized  to  impress  4000  barrels  of  flour,  or  an  equivalent  in  wheat, 
and  casks  to  hold  it.  He  straightened  out  bills  against  the  State.  It 
was  his  business  to  prevent  a  monopoly  in  cattle  and  to  see  that  they 
were  not  sent  to  the  enemy.  He  was  authorized  to  pay  for  supplies 
with  certificates  issued  by  himself.  He  supplied  provisions  on  account 
to  the  United  States  to  the  amount  of  £95,150.  The  State  Agent  had 
a  staff  of  assistant  state  agents  for  state  work  and  also  county  state 
agents. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  organization  for  handling  military 
stores  and  provisions  was  quite  as  systematic  and  as  efiicient  as  the 
military  establishment.  Yet  the  histories  of  the  Revolution  have  little 
or  nothing  to  say  about  this  work,  which  must  be  comprehended  if 
one  would  understand  what  the  Revolutionary  War  really  was. 

In  February  1776  a  storehouse  was  ordered  built  in  New  York  City, 
another  was  erected  in  Westchester  county  and  no  doubt  others  were 
located  where  needed.  Usually,  however,  existing  buildings  such  as 
churches,  and  the  homes  of  Loyalists  were  used  for  this  purpose. 

From  time  to  time  inventories  of  the  military  stores  in  the  State 
were  made  out.  Lists  of  supplies  in  the  records  are  frequent  and  give 
an  idea  of  the  complexity  and  difficulties  of  the  commissary  depart- 
ment. 

To  equip  the  continental  troops,  and  the  state  military  units  with 
everything  needed  for  effective  warfare  was  a  gigantic  task  in  itself. 
After  funds  were  supplied,  there  still  remained  the  arduous  work  of 
securing  clothing,  arms,  cannon,  powder,  cannon  balls,  medicines, 
bullets,  tents  and  camp  equipment  and  other  munitions,  which  were 
extremely  difficult  to  obtain.  Cloth  for  uninforms,  caps  and  tents  had 
come  mainly  from  Europe.  The  war  cut  off  additions  to  a  stock 
already  depleted  by  the  faithful  observance  of  the  nonimportation 
agreement.  Not  much  attention  was  paid  to  the  uniforms  at  the  very 
beginning  because  the  soldiers  were  expected  to  equip  themselves  as 
best  they  could.  Tents  had  to  be  supplied,  however,  and  this  was  one 
of  the  first  concerns  of  the  Provincial  Congress. 

The  earliest  order  received  from  the  Provincial  Congress  by  Cur- 
tenius  was  to  purchase  427  pieces  of  good  "raven  duck,"  182  yards 
of  ticking  to  make  tents,  and  to  obtain  26  "bell  tents."  A  committee 
of  three  was  named  to  have  the  tents  made  at  once. 

On  June  28,  1775,  to  equip  3000  men  with  necessary  articles  the 
Provincial  Congress  ordered  Curtenius  to  purchase  "on  public  credit" 
enough  coarse  blue  broadcloth  to  make  712  "short  coats"  with  crimson 


MILITARY    SUPPLIES 


183 


cloth  for  cuffs  and  facings;  light  brown  coarse  broadcloth  for  712 
"short  coats"  with  blue  cuffs  and  facings;  gray  coarse  broadcloth  for 
712  "short  coats"  with  green  cuffs  and  facings;  and  dark  brown  coarse 
broadcloth  for  712  "short  coats"  with  scarlet  cuffs  and  facings.  At 
the  same  time  he  was  told  to  obtain  1000  stand  of  arms,  20,000  oil 
flints,  8000  pounds  of  lead,  40  reams  of  cartouch  paper,  2852  gun 
worms,  2852  screwdrivers,  materials  for  14  bell  tents,  169  pieces  of 
raven  duck,  520  camp  kettles,  2852  canteens,  2852  haversacks,  800 
small  hatchets,  400  "falling  axes,"  80  pickaxes,  and  400  spades.  Two 
weeks  later  this  order  was  supplemented  by  another  including  Russian 


Washington's  Headquarters  at  Newburgh 

drilling  for  1500  waistcoats  and  the  same  number  of  trousers;  "low- 
priced  linen"  for  3000  shirts;  500  hats;  1500  pairs  of  shoes;  3000 
pairs  of  coarse  homespun  hose;  and  "proper  linen"  for  3000  cravats. 
This  was  an  expensive  order  for  New  York  and  it  shows  with  what 
businesslike  enthusiasm  preparations  for  war  were  made  at  the  outset. 
John  Alsop  of  Philadelphia  on  June  28th  was  told  to  hurry  to  New 
York  2850  blankets  which  were  badly  needed.  On  July  4th  Curtenius 
was  ordered  to  get  "uniform  coats"  for  the  noncommissioned  officers. 
In  the  fall  of  1775  two  shiploads  of  wheat  were  sent  to  Europe  in  ex- 
change for  shirts  and  stockings  as  well  as  powder.  On  July  31st 
Curtenius  was  instructed  to  forward  "clothing"  to  the  second  regiment 
at  Albany.     Two   days  later  he  was  told  to  purchase  the  necessary 


184 


THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 


cloth  to  make  tents.  His  next  recorded  duty  in  this  particular  was  to 
buy  and  send  to  Albany  600  blankets,  600  "tomp  lines,"  and  720 
pairs  of  shoes.  A  list  of  supplies  mentioned  in  February  1776  in- 
cluded "frocks"  for  the  soldiers. 

These  diverse  orders  present  a  good  illustration  of  the  diJ0&culties  in 
clothing  and  shoeing  the  soldiers.  As  the  war  continued,  of  course 
cloth  became  scarcer  and  more  expensive.  On  October  3,  1776,  the 
Provincial  Congress  voted  £6000  to  Lott  and  Livingston  to  buy  cloth, 
shoes,  stockings,  blankets,  leather  and  other  articles.  They  were  paid 
their  expenses  and  allowed  a  commission   of  2^/0   per  cent  on   pur- 


Ivnox    Headquarters,   near   Newburgh 

chases.  Four  days  later  the  Continental  Congress  sent  $10,000  to  New 
York  to  purchase  clothing.  These  necessities  were  purchased  in  New 
England  and  in  Pennsylvania.  On  December  27,  1776,  it  was  reported 
that  Hayman  Levy  at  Philadelphia  at  a  cost  of  £11,000  had  bought 
6000  shirts,  1109  pairs  of  leather  breeches,  134  dozen  of  hose,  85 
felt  hats  and  500  wooden  canteens,  which  would  be  forwarded  to 
Esopus.  The  records  are  full  of  frantic  appeals  from  officers  for 
clothing,  shoes  and  tents  for  their  troops.  On  April  19,  1776,  the 
Committee  of  Safety  implored  the  people  on  the  farms  to  raise  larger 
quantities  of  hemp  and  flax,  and  to  improve  the  breed  of  sheep  with 
a  view  to  a  greater  wool  crop.     Persons  who  sold  or  ate  lambs  and 


MILITARY    SUPPLIES  185 

ewes  were  denounced  as  enemies  of  their  country.  This  action  was 
based  on  the  recommendation  of  the  Continental  Congress.  The  looms 
were  kept  humming  by  tlie  women  and  even  men  asked  to  be  freed 
from  military  service  for  that  work.  On  March  8,  1776,  John  Ramsay 
was  voted  £1333  to  employ  the  poor  of  New  York  in  spinning  flax. 
Indeed,  4  months  earlier  a  society  for  employing  the  industrious  poor 
had  been  organized.  On  July  30,  1776,  two  patriots  petitioned  the  State 
Convention  to  free  their  workmen  and  themselves  from  the  militia  so 
that  they  could  make  linen.  That  much  flax  was  grown  is  shown  by  the 
fact  that  in  1775  permission  was  granted  to  export  flax  seed  to  Ireland. 
A  "flax  committee"  was  appointed  in  October  1776  to  give  work  to  the 
dependent  refugees  in  weaving  and  spinning.  Houses  were  rented,  and 
considerable  cloth  was  made  in  this  way. 

Large  quantities  of  hemp  seed  were  purchased  and  given  to  farmers 
in  New  York  and  New  Jersey.  On  May  9,  1777,  William  Allison  was 
given  £1000  to  buy  hemp  in  Orange  county.  Hemp  was  needed  for 
ropes  and  other  purposes. 

The  capture  of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  early  in  May  1775 
presented  New  York  with  its  first  problem  of  multitudinous  military 
supplies.  General  Schuyler  reported  from  that  region,  July  21,  1775, 
that  he  had  no  boats,  "not  a  nail,  no  pitch,  no  oakum";  that  ammuni- 
tion was  scarce;  that  not  a  gun  had  a  carriage;  that  the  troops  were 
"very  badly  armed";  and  that  "one  poor  armorer"  was  expected  to 
repair  all  their  guns.  Tools  were  early  hurried  to  the  garrison  at 
Ticonderoga.  Curtenius  was  instructed  on  July  31st  to  send  to  the 
Second  regiment  at  Ticonderoga,  720  pouches  and  bayonet  belts,  720 
brushes,  720  canteens,  4320  flints,  720  haversacks,  120  camp  kettles 
and  clothing.  As  early  as  July  31,  1775,  Dr  John  Jones  and  Dr 
Malachy  Treat  were  appointed  to  examine  the  medicines  for  the  army 
and  to  report  to  the  Provincial  Congress.  A  medicine  chest  went  to 
Albany  for  the  troops  on  Lake  Champlain.  On  August  26,  1775, 
Isaac  Sears  reported  that  he  had  collected  five  cartloads  of  medicines, 
and  Doctors  Jones  and  Treat  were  asked  to  inspect  them  and  fix 
their  value.  A  motion  in  the  Provincial  Congress  to  supply  two 
brass  kettles  of  10  gallons  for  each  company  raised  in  the  colony  was 
Jost  by  a  vote  of  17  to  2.  Orders  were  sent  to  Philadelphia  for 
parchment  for  drumheads  and  "good  drums"  were  made  in  the 
colony.  In  1776  there  was  a  bill  for  drummers  and  fifers'  clothing, 
various  kinds  of  cloth,  thread  and  buttons  amounting  to  £188-16-9. 

A  search  authorized  by  the  Provincial  Congress  for  supplies  in  New 
York  City  in  1775  resulted  in  finding  140  boxes  of  candles,  seven 
blankets,    eighty    pairs    of    sheets,    twenty-four    bed    ticks,    twenty-six 


186  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

bolsters,  and  fourteen  halberts.  On  February  10,  1776,  Curtenius  was 
ordered  to  collect  600  pickaxes,  300  hatchets,  500  hand  barrows,  300 
wheelbarrows,  200  crow  bars  and  500  iron-shod  shovels  for  General 
Lee.  Among  the  items  in  another  list  were  108  valises  and  2752  toma- 
hawks. On  December  7,  1775,  Curtenius  sent  out  to  the  county  com- 
mittees 7150  pounds  of  balls  and  28,500  flints;  and  5  days  later 
10,000  pounds  of  balls  and  50,000  flints.  These  items  assembled 
from  the  ofiicial  records  give  only  a  partial  picture  of  the  difficulties 
confronting  the  revolutionary  government  of  New  York  in  equipping 
an  army. 

One  of  the  most  difficult  problems  was  to  supply  guns  and  cannon. 
Fortunately  every  farmer  owned  at  least  one  gun  and  took  it  with  him 
into  service.  But  the  men  in  the  cities  and  villages  and  younger  sons 
of  farmers  were  not  owners  of  firearms,  as  a  rule,  and  had  to  be  sup- 
plied. On  September  12,  1775,  £4000  was  voted  by  the  Committee  of 
Safety  to  send  a  vessel  to  Europe  to  purchase  powder  and  arms,  and 
this  vessel  was  followed  by  several  others.  Robert  Boyd  and  Henry 
Watkeys  on  June  13,  1775,  offered  to  make  1000  good  muskets  with 
steel  ramrods  and  bayonets  with  scabbards  at  £3  15s  each  New  York 
money.  The  Provincial  Congress  accepted  the  offer  and  advanced  £100 
for  tools.  Another  order  on  August  2d  called  for  the  purchase  of  880 
pouches,  belts,  bayonet  belts,  musket  slings  and  "2000  of  each  of  those 
articles  already  contracted  for."  On  September  12th  James  Byers  was 
given  a  contract  to  make  brass  six-pounders  at  4  shillings  a  pound,  each 
to  weigh  650  pounds,  but  there  was  some  haggling  over  the  price.  In 
December  McDougall  was  told  to  buy  the  necessary  "cartouch  paper," 
and  the  minute  men  of  Jamaica  were  hired  to  make  them  at  16  shillings 
each.  Stores  for  the  artillery  were  assembled  and  a  contract  for  shot 
was  let.  Curtenius  was  kept  busy  sending  out  the  supplies  collected, 
and  this  activity  continued  throughout  the  war.  "Lead  and  flints  and 
refining  sulphur"  were  reported  at  Kingston.  New  York  promised  to 
replace  the  ammunition  used  by  Connecticut  in  taking  Ticonderoga. 
Efforts  were  made  to  purchase  powder  in  the  West  Indies.  The  officers 
complained  continually  of  the  scarcity  of  military  stores  notwithstand- 
ing these  frantic  efforts  to  supply  them. 

John  Henry,  the  state  clothier,  collected  muskets  and  sent  them  to 
Colonel  John  Lasher,  the  commissary.  Muskets  were  also  taken  from 
Tories.  From  New  York  City  500  muskets  were  sent  north  to  General 
Schuyler.  In  1775  sixteen  guns  were  bought  for  continental  troops 
at  prices  from  £1  to  £7.  In  1776  Cornelius  Atherton  made  £700  worth 
of  muskets  with  bayonets  at  £3  14s  each.  Captain  Thaddeus  Noble 
contracted  for  thirty  muskets  at  $8  a  piece.     In  June  1776  the  "Grant" 


MILITARY    SUPPLIES  187 

brought  263  guns  from  Marseilles.  In  July  Curtenius  was  authorized 
to  buy  600  or  700  French  muskets  at  $11  each.  In  1776-77  the  com- 
mittee of  Rombout  precinct,  Dutchess  county,  delivered  431  guns  to 
the  State.  In  1777  a  bounty  was  offered  by  the  Provincial  Congress 
of  £20  for  every  100  muskets  delivered  to  the  county  committees. 
In  1776  a  "committee  to  procure  lances"  was  named  and  local  per- 
sons were  authorized  to  collect  800  lances  in  five  different  counties. 

The  items  for  shoes  and  stockings  in  the  records  are  numerous.  An 
appeal  was  made  to  the  patriots  of  the  State  on  January  27,  1777,  to 
furnish  stockings  at  12  shillings  a  pair  and  blankets  at  45  shillings. 
The  county  committees  were  instructed  to  collect  these  articles,  pay  for 
them  and  deliver  them  to  Albany  for  distribution  among  the  soldiers. 
Special  committees  were  appointed  to  scour  the  State  for  clothing  and 
stockings. 

The  Provincial  Congress  on  April  15,  1777,  paid  £600  to  the  Ulster 
county  committee  for  stockings  and  blankets.  The  county  committees 
collected  hides,  had  them  tanned,  and  then  used  them  to  repair  old 
shoes  or  make  new  ones.  Local  shoemakers  were  thus  employed  at 
18  shillings  to  20  shillings  a  pair.  Stockings  were  made  and  delivered 
in  the  same  way.  In  1778  the  supervisors  were  ordered  to  buy  shoes 
and  stockings.  In  1779  the  making  of  shoes  and  stockings  was  appor- 
tioned among  the  counties  with  permission  to  pay  $8  for  shoes  and  $7 
for  stockings.  Delinquents  were  fined.  Shoemakers  were  exempt 
from  military  duty. 

In  1777  David  Currie,  a  commissary  for  the  New  York  Line  at  24 
shillings  a  day,  bought  clothing  in  Massachusetts  and  elsewhere  for  the 
soldiers.  There  was  a  state  clothing  store.  John  Henry,  appointed 
State  Clothier  on  February  14,  1777  at  a  salary  of  10  shillings  a  day, 
delivered  clothing  to  the  various  regiments.  In  1779  his  title  was 
changed  to  Director  of  Clothing  and  his  compensation  was  increased 
to  £65  a  month.  Other  names  appear  also  as  assistant  state  clothiers, 
Cornelius  Cregin  being  named  with  Henry  in  1777.  From  March  1777 
to  January  1779  Henry's  accounts  amounted  to  £4157-10-5.  An  inven- 
tory of  the  articles  of  clothing  in  the  state  storehouse,  when  he  assumed 
ofiice,  and  sent  to  the  Convention  on  March  1,  1777,  reveals  the  great 
variety  of  articles,  from  mittens  to  blankets,  needed  by  the  army.  The 
Continental  Army  had  a  clothier  general.  During  the  latter  part  of 
the  war  special  commissioners  of  clothing  were  appointed  to  obtain 
loans  for  the  purchase  of  cloth,  suits,  shirts,  hats,  stockings  and  shoes. 
Overalls  came  into  general  use  as  uniforms.  In  1780  an  effort  was 
made  to  fix  the  price  of  these  articles.  Special  efforts  were  made  to 
equip  the  ojGficers.  Uniforms  were  not  supplied  to  officers  who  served 
7 


fiifiPiilil^^ 


p:5 


MILITARY    SUPPLIES 


189 


for  less  than  1  year.  In  1779  the  color  and  character  of  the  uniforms 
of  the  New  York  troops  were  designated.  New  York  presented  to  the 
Continental  Congress  a  bill  of  £33,892-10-7  for  clothing. 

Early  in  the  war,  linen,  shirts  and  blankets  were  bought  in  France. 
When  importation  was  cut  off,  cloth  was  purchased  in  Connecticut  and 
Pennsylvania,  and  made  up  into  garments  in  the  country  districts.  The 
linen-clad  American  troops  had  an  advantage  in  the  lightness  and 
coolness  of  their  uniform  and  the  ease  with  which  it  could  be  washed. 
A  "clothing  committee"  had  charge  of  clothing  supplies  and  large  sums 
were  voted  for  clothing  by  New  York  and  the  Continental  Congress. 
In  1778  Curtenius  was  made  "commissary  to  purchase  clothing  for 
the  State"  a^d  thus  added  this  work  to  his  other  duties. 

On  October  20,  1776,  Curtenius,  who  had  gone  to  Philadelphia  for 
supplies,  informed  Bancker,  the  State  Treasurer,  that  he  had  pur- 
chased 1109  pairs  of  buckskin  breeches,  1608  pairs  of  stockings, 
85  felt  hats,  1939  check  shirts  and  1928  white  shirts  for  the  use  of 
the  New  York  troops.  He  suggested  that  the  local  committees  be  per- 
mitted to  purchase  similar  supplies.  He  also  reported  that  he  had 
bought  enough  linen  to  make  2000  more  shirts,  that  he  would  soon 
have  1400  pairs  of  shoes,  that  he  had  ordered  200  pairs  of  buckskin 
breeches,  213  deer  skins,  400  shirts,   160  felt  hats,   200  rifle  frocks 


The  Provost  of  New  York  City  in  1783 


190  THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW   YORK 

and  90  pairs  of  shoes.  To  obtain  these  articles  he  was  forced  to  use 
some    of   his   money,  hence   he   asked  for   £15,000   to    pay   the   bills. 

In  1780  monies  derived  from  the  sale  of  confiscated  estates  of  Loy- 
alists were  used  by  Curtenius  under  authority  of  the  Legislature  to 
purchase  officers'  and  soldiers'  uniforms,  shirts,  stockings,  boots  and 
shoes,  and  blankets  to  the  amount  of  $177,000. 

To  stimulate  the  manufacture  of  firearms  within  the  colony,  the 
Provincial  Congress  on  March  16,  1776,  agreed  to  lend  £200  to  any 
man  in  any  part  of  the  colony  who  would  manufacture  gunlocks. 
The  first  person  to  produce  for  sale  500  gunlocks  was  to  receive  a 
premium  of  4  shillings  on  each  gunlock  above  the  regular  price. 
The  next  person  to  produce  300  was  to  have  3  shillings  premium. 
The  third  person  to  produce  250  gunlocks  was  to  have  2  shillings  pre- 
mium. A  loan  of  £400  for  2  years  without  interest  was  offered  to 
any  one  who  would  erect  a  factory  north  of  New  York  City  to  bore 
musket  barrels.  Similar  premiums  were  offered  for  such  work.  The 
Committee  of  Safety  authorized  contracts  for  5000  stand  of  arms 
made  in  the  colony.  In  June  1775  a  bounty  of  £20  was  offered  for 
one  year  for  every  100  good  muskets  manufactured.  An  armory 
was  built  by  the  State  in  1777  near  Fishkill  and  blacksmith  shops 
were  used  for  repairing  old  weapons.  These  heroic  beginnings  slowly 
supplied  the  weapons  needed,  but  not  until  the  latter  part  of  the 
war  was  the  supply  of  arms  adequate.  Workers  employed  in  pro- 
ducing weapons  of  war  were  exempted  from  military  service. 

New  York  had  a  fair  quantity  of  iron  but  was  short  of  lead.  One 
Patrich  on  July  3,  1775,  offered  to  make  iron  balls  in  his  blast  fur- 
nace. As  early  as  September  15,  1775,  inspection  of  the  old  lead 
mines  in  the  State  was  ordered.  Men  were  sent  to  Goshen,  New- 
JDurgh,  New  Canaan  and  to  points  in  Orange  and  Dutchess  countiesi 
to  examine  the  mines  which  the  Continental  Congress  ordered  worked. 
Reports  of  lead  mines  in  the  State  were  sent  in,  but  stated  that  upon 
investigation  they  were  found  worthless. 

Since  no  paying  mines  were  found,  lead  was  a  difficult  article  to 
obtain  in  New  York.  Small  quantities  were  brought  in  from  Con- 
necticut. At  Fort  Montgomery  the  weights  of  fishnets  were  collected. 
Pewter  dishes  were  melted  down  for  bullets.  Finally  the  window 
weights  were  used — over  100  tons  being  secured  in  New  York  City- — 
and  a  list  was  kept  of  those  who  contributed  them.  This  lead  was 
sent  all  over  the  colony  and  helped  to  save  the  American  cause. 
Other  places  in  the  State  gathered  lead  in  similar  ways.  Newburgh 
sold  186%  pounds  of  lead  to  Colonel  Hasbrouck's  regiment  at  Fort 
Montgomery. 


MILITARY    SUPPLIES  191 

The  lack  of  powder  was  keenly  felt.  The  small  supply  in  private 
hands  in  the  colony  was  soon  exhausted.  In  May  1775  the  county 
committees  were  clamoring  for  ammunition.  Frantic  efforts  to  sell 
wheat  abroad  for  powder  were  defeated  by  British  control  of  the 
seas.     Then  New  York  fell  back  on  its  own  resources.     On  June  9, 

1775,  a  committee  of  three  made  a  survey  of  the  saltpeter  in  the 
hands  of  the  apothecaries  in  New  York  City  and  reported  287  pounds. 
Then  a  committee  was  instructed  to  investigate  the  manufacture  of 
that  article.  About  this  time  the  Continental  Congress  ordered  that 
all  saltpeter  and  brimstone  in  New  Jersey,  New  York  and  New  Eng- 
land be  collected  and  sent  to  the  New  York  powder  mills.  Robert 
R.  Livingston  wrote  on  June  24,  1775,  that  his  powder  maker  had 
brought  180  pounds  of  saltpeter  from.  Philadelphia  and  would  at 
once  begin  to  make  powder.  A  motion  to  lend  £2000  for  the  manu- 
facture of  saltpeter  was  lost  in  the  Provincial  Congress. 

A  bounty  of  50  cents  a  pound  on  saltpeter  up  to  October  1,  1776, 
was  proposed  in  the  Provincial  Congress.  Benjamin  Baker  asked  for 
a  loan  of  £1000  to  establish  a  plant.  By  March  16,  1776,  committees 
were  appointed  in  all  the  counties  to  encourage  individuals  to  make 
saltpeter,  and  soon  supplies  began  to  be  offered  from  these  local 
centers.  In  June  1776  it  was  reported  that  saltpeter  had  become  a 
"staple"  and  "inspectors"  were  appointed  to  superintend  the  indus- 
try. It  sold  as  low  as  6  shillings  but  soon  rose  to  8  shillings,  6  pence 
a  pound.  Works  were  turning  out  the  product  in  the  counties  of 
New  York,  Albany,  Ulster,  Orange,  Dutchess,  Westchester  and  Suf- 
folk. Essays  on  the  methods  of  making  saltpeter  and  powder  were 
prepared  and  3000  printed  copies  were  distributed.     By  January  17, 

1776,  the  Committee  of  Safety  wrote  to  the  Continental  Congress  that 
the  experiment  was  successful. 

After  a  bounty  of  £5  held  out  as  an  inducement  to  persons  to 
deliver  100  pounds  to  the  coun,ty  committee  failed,  the  government 
of  New  York  made  an  effort  to  get  powder  by  offering  100  per  cent 
profit  o"n  the  first  cost  to  any  person  who  would  import  it.  On  No- 
vember 3,  1775,  General  McDougall  was  directed  to  have  150  pounds 
of  powder  in  the  magazine  made  up  into  cartridges  for  the  "common 
defense."  The  damaged  powder  captured  at  Ticonderoga  and  Crown 
Point  was  sent  down  to  the  powder  mill  near  Rhinebeck  to  be  made 
over.  Powder  was  sent  to  New  York  from  Philadelphia  on  October 
16,  1775.  A  bounty  of  1  shilling  a  pound  was  paid  on  all  powder 
made  from  saltpeter  brought  into  New  York  from  other  states. 

Two  powder  mills,  one  owned  by  Henry  Wisner  in  Orange  county 
and  the  other  by   John   R.   Livingston   in   Albany   county,   were  not 


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MILITARY    SUPPLIES  193 

enough  to  supply  the  needs  of  the  State,  hence  on  March  9,  1776,  the 
Provincial  Congress  ordered  that  two  more  mills  he  erected  in  Alban,y 
county,  and  one  in  each  of  six  other  counties.  In  May  1777  guards 
were  recruited  to  protect  the  powder  mills.  The  sum  of  £1000  was 
voted  for  2  years  on  security  as  a  loan  to  those  persons  who  within 
3  months  would  build  a  mill.  No  mills  were  to  be  built  in  southern' 
New  York,  however,  because  of  danger  of  attack  from  the  enemy. 
The  first  mill  to  make  1000  pounds  of  powder  by  May  20,  1776, 
was  to  receive  a  bonus  of  £100.  The  next  mill  to  meet  the  require- 
ment by  June  10th  was  to  be  paid  £75.  The  third  mill  to  meet  the 
requirement  by  July  1st  was  to  have  £50.  Between  June  9,  1776, 
and  June  9.  1777,  Henry  Wisner  jr  and  Moses  Phillips  made  14,737 
pounds  of  gunpowder,  and  John  Carpenter  and  Co.,  3725  pounds, 
in  Orange  county.  Chief  among  the  industries  encouraged  by  New 
York  in  the  Revolution  were  powder  mills,  armories,  and  salt  plants. 

Men  were  sent  over  the  counties  to  purchase  horses.  In  the  records 
one  item  shows  that  600  horses  were  purchased,  for  which  "horse 
notes"  were  given  the  owners.  The  largest  number,  eighty,  came 
from  Tryon  county.  "Forage  commissioners"  looked  after  supplies 
of  fodder  and  grain.  Their  bill  for  the  year  following  June  1777 
was  £5024-0-3.     Forage  was  paid  for  in  certificates  good  for  taxes. 

The  reason  why  New  York  found  it  so  difficult  to  supply  the  revo- 
lutionary soldiers  with  clothing,  weapons  and  camp  equipment,  was 
primarily  because  it  was  an  agricultural  colony  with  but  few  fac- 
tories that  might  be  utilized  in  an  emergency  to  turn  out  military 
supplies.  In  the  colonial  wars  all  these  materials  came  from  Eng- 
land, and  even  in  time  of  peace  the  equipment  of  the  militia  was 
chiefly  from  British  supplies.  With  New  York  City  in  the  hands  of 
the  enemy,  New  York  was  shut  off  from  easy  communication  both 
with  European  countries  and  with  neighboring  colonies.  The  people 
were  compelled  by  necessity  to  develop  a  resourcefulness  in  inven- 
tion and  substitution  that  made  them  more  self-reliant  and  more  con- 
scious of  their  ability  to  manage  their  own  affairs  as  an  independent 
political  and  economic  unit. 

Food  is  one  of  the  most  important  factors  in  war.  Napoleon  said 
that  an  army  moves  on  its  belly.  Troops  may  be  inadequately  clothed, 
shod  and  armed,  and  yet  render  fair  military  service;  but  if  food 
be  lacking,  they  soon  starve  and  become  useless.  Since  New  York 
was  an  agricultural  colony  to  so  large  an  extent,  one  would  naturally 
suppose  that  even  in  wartime  an  adequate  supply  of  food  would  be 
one  of  her  least  troubles.  It  was  quickly  discovered,  however,  that 
to  supply  a  population  of  180,000  people  in  normal  times  of  peace 


MILITARY    SUPPLIES  195 

was  very  different  from  feeding  the  colony  in  time  of  war,  when  so 
many  men  were  withdrawn  from  agriculture  to  the  camps,  and  since 
labor,  seeds  and  agricultural  implements  were  inflated  by  high  war 
prices.  Further,  the  rough  and  insufficient  roa-ds  made  transportation 
a  difficult  problem.  Moreover,  when  New  York  City  was  cut  off  from 
the  sea,  articles  like  salt,  spices,  pepper,  tea,  coffee  and  rum  were 
soon  exhausted  and  commanded  prohibitive  prices.  Then  too,  the 
obligation  to  accept  depreciated  paper  money  discouraged  the  farmers 
to  the  point  of  indifference  or  even  hostility  in  marketing  their  crops. 
Localities  were  called  upon  to  provide  quarters,  food  and  supplies 
for  troops,  but  as  a  rule  an  allowance  was  paid  for  such  service. 
For  instance  on  March  2,  1776,  the  peoplq  of  Kings  county  were 
paid  7  shillings  for  officers  and  1  shilling  4  pence  for  privates. 
Apparently  this  practice  was  less  satisfactory  to  the  soldiers  than  to 
the  civilians,  for  most  of  the  complaints  came  from  the  former. 

The  earliest  official  action  of  New  York  in  supplying  provisions 
for  the  revolutionary  army  was  taken  on  May  24,  1775,  when  a  com- 
mittee recommended  to  the  Provincial  Congress  that  "supplies  of 
provisions"  be  furnished  the  garrison  at  Ticonderoga.  The  governor 
of  Connecticut  was  informed  that  in  compliance  with  orders  from  the 
'"Grand  Congress"  food  would  be  sent  to  Lake  George  and  Lake 
Champlain  at  once.  Consequently  100  pounds  of  pork,  200  barrels 
of  flour,  and  20  barrels  of  rum  were  hurried  up  to  Albany  for  Ticon- 
deroga and  Crown  Point.  On  June  5th  a  list  of  the  provisions 
despatched  was  submitted  to  the  Provincial  Congress. 

The  second  call  made  on  New  York  for  food  was  on  June  7,  1775, 
when  the  Continental  Congress  requested  that  5000  barrels  of  flour 
be  sent  to  the  continental  army  at  Boston  at  the  national  expense. 
Three  days  later  the  flour  was  purchased  and  forwarded.  At  the  same 
time  300  barrels  more  of  pork  were  sent  to  Albany  on  Continental 
credit.  Pork  was  one  of  the  most  reliable  and  widely  used  products 
for  army  consumption,  because  when  salted  it  could  be  kept  without 
spoiling.  On  March  13,  1776,  1200  barrels  of  pork  were  purchased 
in  Westchester  county  and  stored  for  use.  A  committee  on  March 
20,  1776,  reported  that  in  New  York  City  there  were  106  barrels  of 
pork,  2694  barrels  of  flour  and  97  barrels  of  beef.  By  1777  the 
food  supply  seemed  so  abundant  that  the  New  York  farmers  were 
sending  many  materials  that  could  be  used  for  military  purposes  out 
of  the  State.  Abraham  Lott  on  February  5,  1777,  reported  that  from 
this  practice  there  was  danger  of  a  deficiency  in  New  York.  The 
Committee  of  Safety  discussed  an  embargo,  but  it  was  not  until 
November   11,    1777,  that   restrictions  were   laid   on  the   exportation 


196  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

of  wheat,  meal  and  grain,  and  a  few  weeks  later  extended  to  flour. 
The  local  committees  were  told  to  be  very  vigilant.  When  it  was 
reported  that  goods  and  cattle  had  been  sent  from  Long  Island  to 
Connecticut,  a  committee  of  three  was  appointed  on  January  17,  1777, 
to  recover  them.  The  embargo  was  waived,  however,  under  certain 
conditions  to  relieve  the  general  continental  shortage.  For  ex-ample, 
on  January  14,  1778,  a  permit  was  given  to  export  700  barrels  of 
flour.  There  were  inspectors  of  cattle  and  receivers  of  cattle.  In 
1780  Daniel  Graham  was  paid  £11,284  for  ten  head  of  cattle  deliv- 
ered to  General  Clinton. 

Every  encouragement  was  given  to  farmers  to  market  their  products 
instead  of  hoarding  them  at  home.  For  instance  on  February  29,  1776, 
the  Provincial  Congress  decreed  that  no  hindrance  should  be  placed 
in  the  way  of  those  who  wished  to  drive  their  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs, 
or  to  carry  provisions  to  New  York  City  for  use  in  the  continental 
army.  Farmers  on  Long  Island,  who  refused  to  sell  salted  pork 
for  the  army  at  the  market  price,  were  forced  to  accept  the  price 
offered.  The  patriots  generally  were  asked  to  sell  cattle  to  the  com- 
missary .general  at  "a  reasonable  price"  which,  if  in  dispute,  was 
to  be  fixed  by  three  persons.  On  October  9,  1777,  the  commissary 
general  was  given  power  to  impress  wheat  and  also  teams  to  draw  it. 
General  Schuyler  was  authorized  to  impress  provisions.  This  same 
power  had  been  granted  in  connection  with  the  erection  of  forts  in, 
the  Highlands  in  1776. 

When  on  October  24,  1776,  the  Provincial  Congress  ordered  the 
purchase  of  8000  bushels  of  wheat  at  6  shillings  6  pence  a  bushel, 
those  refusing  to  sell  were  reported  to  that  body.  This  wheat  was 
sent  to  the  mills  at  Peekskill  and  Croton  river,  which  were  run  night 
and  day  to  produce  the  needed  flour.  All  mill  hands  were  exempted 
from  military  service  and  coopers  were  taken  from  the  army  to  make 
barrels. 

Instances  of  profiteering  were  dealt  with  firmly.  The  first  case 
arose  in  New  York  City  in  the  fall  of  1775,  when  two  merchants 
were  summoned  for  raising  the  price  on  blankets.  On  January  17, 
1777,  a  committee  was  given  power  to  preveVit  "monopolizing"  war 
supplies. 

A  good  illustration  of  what  was  going  on  is  found  in  the  minutes 
of  the  Schenectady  committee.  On  May  8,  1777,  that  body  discov- 
ered that  Joshua  Watts  had  "bought  up  ind  monopolized  a  large 
quantity  of  boards"  contrary  to  the  orders  of  the  Provincial  Congress. 
Hence  his  supply  was  seized  and  he  was  forced  to  accept  the  market 
price. 


MILITARY    SUPPLIES  197 

On  July  2d  David  Frank  was  declared  guilty  of  "monopoly"  for 
selling  Sy^  ells  of  serge  cloth  and  one  dozen  buttons  for  £30.  He 
was  forced  to  return  £6  and  2  shillings  to  the  purchaser  and  beg  the 
pardon  of  the  committee. 

Other  cases  of  monopolizing  tea  and  profiteering  in  cattle  were 
investigated  and  adjusted.  Of  course  the  worthless  paper  money 
caused  the  prices  to  fluctuate  greatly  and  thus  farmers  became  timid 
about  exchanging  good  wheat  or  pork  for  questionable  paper.  The 
Continental  Congress  suggested  a  convention  to  stabilize  prices.  Early 
in  1777  New  York  sent  delegates  to  meet  in  an  interstate  conference 
at  Yorktown  for  the  purpose  of  regulating  prices  of  labor,  manufac- 
tures and  produce.  The  conference  resolved  that  the  various  'states 
fix  prices  to  prevent  monopolies,  and  that  taxes  be  levied  to  stabilize 
the  currency.  On  January  10,  1778,  the  Convention  appointed  four 
delegates  to  meet  those  of  other  colonies  at  New  Haven  on  January 
15,  1778,  for  the  same  purpose. 

Those  who  refused  to  sell  wheat  and  other  articles  to  the  State 
were  reported  to  the  Committee  of  Safety.  From  1779  on  the  im- 
pressment of  cattle,  flour  and  grain,  also  oats,  hay,  mutton,  tallow, 
cows  and  beef  was  common.  Cattle  became  so  scarce  that  they  were 
purchased  in  New  England.  In  1780  the  Legislature  instructed  Gov- 
ernor Clinton  to  impress  wheat. 

County  committees  followed  the  example  of  the  State  Government 
in  seeking  to  stabilize  prices.  In  1776  the  Albany  county  committee 
ordered  that  tea  should  be  sold  at  6s  a  pound.  If  sold  at  an  advanced 
price  it  was  confiscated  and  resold  for  6s  3d  a  pound.  This  same  body 
in  1777  fixed  the  price  of  wheat  at  7s,  rye  at  5s,  oats  at  3s  6d,  corn  at 
5s  and  buckwheat  at  3s.  As  late  as  1782,  895  bushels  of  wheat  were 
supplied  to  the  members  of  the  Legislature  at  6s  a  bushel,  probably 
to  off^set  profiteering. 

One  of  the  best  commodities  to  illustrate  the  resourcefulness  of 
the  State  was  salt.  By  March  16,  1776,  that  article  was  so  scarce  in 
New  York  that  the  Provincial  Congress  off^ered  a  loan  of  £200  to 
anyone  who  would  erect  a  plant  to  obtain  salt  from  sea  water.  The 
first  person  producing  1200  bushels  by  December  1,  1776,  was 
promised  a  reward  of  £100.  After  that  the  first  to  produce  900 
bushels  was  to  be  given  £75.  The  man  who  came  third  with  600 
bushels  was  to  receive  £50.  "Dissertations"  on  the  processes  of  manu- 
facturing salt  were  printed  and  distributed  over  the  State  to  encour- 
age the  industry.  Dr  Joseph  Gerreau,  a  Frenchman,  was  also  Con- 
sulted about  the  experiment.  On  January  17,  1776,  Curtenius  was 
directed  to  purchase  on  continental  account  3000  bushels  to  be  sent 


sU- 


ffi2. 


-c<! 


MILITARY    SUPPLIES  199 

to  Albany  at   once.     In  October   1776,   salt   in  Dutchess  county  was 
selling  at  4  shillings  6  pence  a  pound. 

By  June  19,  1776,  four  men  had  petitioned  for  financial  assistance 
in  the  salt  industry  and  the  next  month  the  Provincial  Convention 
oflfered  to  lend  £500  to  the  first  five  applicants  for  obtaining  salt 
from  sea  water — the  loan  to  be  paid  back  in  salt  at  8  shillings  a 
bushel.  Several  salt  companies  were  organized  on  the  loans  made, 
but  in  February  1777  the  Committee  of  Safety  was  still  frantically 
urging  businessmen  to  engage  in  the  manufacture  of  salt,  and  the 
counties  were  complaining  of  the  scarcity  of  this  article.  Rumors 
that  salt  was  made  from  springs  at  "Oriskee"  on  the  western  frontier, 
resulted  in  an  order  for  a  supply  from  that  source.  The  efforts  to 
induce  the  Iroquois  Indians  to  sell  salt  to  New  York  were  continued. 
The  Oneidas  who  were  friendly  to  the  American  cause  were  offered 
$4  a  bushel.  Peter  R.  Livingston  was  sent  to  the  Onondagas  to  gain 
permission  to  make  salt  at  Onondaga  lake.  A  cargo  of  flour  was 
sent  to  Curasao  to  be  exchanged  for  salt,  but  there  is  no  record  of 
its  success. 

Finally  the  Provincial  Congress,  disappointed  in  its  various  efforts, 
wrote  to  the  Continental  Congress  on  April  2,  1777,  that  most  of 
the  people  of  New  York  had  no  sail,  that  the  State  was  cut  off  from 
the  sea,  that  the  neighboring  ports  could  not  be  used  to  advantage, 
and  that  "the  scarcity  of  salt  has  arisen  to  a  most  alarming  height." 
The  national  Congress  was  asked  for  salt  to  quiet  the  "clamours  of 
the  unfortunate."  Salt  riots  in  Orange  county  and  elsewhere  were 
averted  with  much  difficulty.  Evidently  some  relief  came  from  that 
source  for  a  month  later  the  Committee  of  Safety  placed  an  order 
for  6000  bushels  of  salt  in  New  England.  John  and  Henry  Livingston 
were  commissioned  to  get  it  and  allowed  3  per  cent  of  the  cost  for 
their  work.  The  sum  of  £4000  was  voted  to  purchase  the  salt.  The 
Continental  Congress  on  June  14,  1777,  ordered  other  states  to  supply 
New  York  with  salt  and  authorized  the  secret  committee  to  sell  to 
New  York  2000  bushels  of  salt  stored  at  Plymouth,  Mass.  In  Sep- 
tember, Colonel  Abraham  Lott  was  in  Boston  to  arrange  for  the  trans- 
fer of  the  salt.  M,eanwhile  efforts  were  also  made  to  secure  salt 
in  Connecticut.  Dr  Piatt  Townsend,  a  New  Yorker  living  in  that 
state,  asked  to  be  allowed  to  make  salt  and  send  it  to  New  York,  and 
Connecticut  consented.  Colonel  Lott  also  secured  1200  bushels  at 
Canaan,  Conn. 

With  a  supply  of  salt  secured  from  New  England,  the  greatest 
care  was  taken  in  its  distribution  for  sale  to  the  people.     Depots  were 


200  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

established  in  each  county.  The  salt  was  then  sold  at  2  shillings  6 
pence  a  quart.  Each  family  on  presenting  a  card  from  the  local 
committee  certifying  that  it  was  "well  affected  to  the  American  cause" 
was  sold  3  quarts  for  every  member,  not  counting  the  men  in  mili- 
tary service  who  were  supposed  to  get  their  salt  from  another  source. 
On  November  12,  1777,  the  Committee  of  Safety  ordered  400  bushels 
of  salt  sent  to  Charlotte  county  after  first  supplying  Albany  and 
Tryon  counties.     Tryon  county  alone  received  600  bushels. 

Peter  R.  Livingston  was  sent  to  Boston  in  1777  to  obtain  another 
supply  for  which  he  paid  10  shillings  a  bushel  in  wheat.  On  June 
27,  1776,  a  committee  was  named  to  report  all  military  supplies  sent 
out  of  the  colony  for  the  Continental  Congress,  Similar  efforts  were 
made  later,  but  it  was  found  to  be  a  difficult  task.  In  the  final  set- 
tlement between  the  national  Congress  and  the  State  these  items  were 
taken  into  account  and  reached  a  large  total. 

An  interesting  experiment  made  during  the  Revolution  was  the 
invention  of  devices  to  carry  intelligence  quickly.  The  British  colonial 
post  office  was  taken  over  by, the  patriots  in  1775  and  reorganized  by 
the  Continental  Congress  in  1776  with  Franklin  as  its  head.  Before 
this  was  done  New  York  organized  its  own  service.  An  early  effort 
was  made  by  New  York  to  open  a  mail  route  from  New  York  City 
to  Montreal.  On  June  13,  1775,  Ebenezer  Hazard  petitioned  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress  to  be  made  postmaster  of  the  colony.  John  Holt 
also  appeared  as  a  candidate.  After  considerable  discussion  Hazard 
was  elected  by  a  vote  of  12  to  6  and  soon  evinced  great  energy  in  his 
new  office.  When  the  British  threatened  New  York  in  1776  he  moved 
to  Dobbs  Ferry.  The  Continental  Congress  urged  New  York  to  keep 
the  post  roads  to  Connecticut  and  New  Jersey  open.  Hazard  was 
directed  to  send  a  postrider  weekly  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson 
between  the  metropolis  and  Albany.  On  October  17,  1775,  it  was 
ordered  that  a  plan  be  devised  by  means  of  beacons  on  high  hills 
and  cannon  shots  so  that  news  of  an  invasion  could  be  sent  quickly 
all  over  the  colony.  The  county  committees  were  instructed  to  have 
horses  ready  from  10  to  15  miles  apart  to  spread  intelligence  at  any 
time.  Names  of  these  riders  were  sent  to  Provincial  Congress.  The 
post  roads  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson  were  kept  in  a  state  of 
repair  during  the  war.  Postriders  from  New  York  City  northward 
were  appointed  in  September  1776.  The  postal  service  was  kept 
up  throughout  the  war.  By  1784_  stage  coaches  were  running  3  times 
a  week  from  New  York  City  to  Albany. 

Not  the  least  among  the  war  problems  was  that  of  preventing  the 
spread    of   smallpox.      The   method    of   prevention,    or   "inoculation" 


MILITARY    SUPPLIES  201 

as  it  was  called,  was  so  new  that  it  was  honestly  thought  that  it 
spread  rather  than  checked  this  dread  disease.  The  Albany  county 
committee  prohibited  inoculation  for  smallpox  on  May  26,  1775. 
The  Schenectady  district  committee  on  May  31,  1775,  ordered  doctors 
and  others  to  '"desist  from'  inoculation  of  the  smallpox."  Hence  on 
June  15,  1775.  the  Provincial  Congress  forbade  "inoculation"  before 
December  1,  1775.  Men  were  put  in  jail  for  disobeying  this  order. 
One  man  sent  in  a  petition  for  the  privilege  of  having  his  wife  inocu- 
lated but  it  was  denied.  Violators  of  the  order  in  New  York  City 
were  punished.  Not  until  1777  did  the  government  allow  it,  and 
then  only  under  certain  conditions.  After  Washington  recommended 
it  for  the  continental  army,  however.  New  York  removed  all  objec- 
tions. Quarantine  was  used  to  combat  the  dread  disease.  In  1777 
"inoculating  hospitals"  were  prepared  in  each  district  of  Albany 
county.  As  late  as  1778  General  James  Clinton  wrote  Governor  George 
Clinton  that  he  was  trying  to  prevent  inoculation  at  Newburgh  until 
the  Governor  gave  him  further  orders. 

The  occupation  of  New  York  City,  the  invasion  of  Burgoyne,  and 
the  inroads  of  the  Tories  and  Indians  on  the  frontiers  threw  upon 
the  Government  of  the  State  a  large  number  of  refugees,  chiefly  women, 
children  and  old  men,  for  whom  provisions  had  to  be  made.  When 
the  British  captured  New  York  City  hundreds  fled  northward  and 
appealed  for  food  and  shelter  to  the  Provincial  Congress.  Even 
before  that  disaster,  on  February  26,  1776,  Abraham  Lott  was  voted 
£500  for  bread  for  the  poor  of  the  metropolis.  The  vestry  of  New 
York  City  petitioned  the  Provincial  Congress  on  May  30,  1775,  for 
the  right  to  collect  taxes  to  care  for  the  400  poor  and  unfortunate 
in  the  almshouse.  John  Ramsey  was  appointed  to  supply  them  with 
employment.  After  New  York  City  fell,  various  sums  from  £19  to 
£1280  were  voted  to  remove  the  poor  refugees  and  to  feed  them. 
They  were  distributed  among  the  counties  and  the  county  committees 
charged  the  local  committees  for  their  keep.  Commissioners  of  the 
poor  in  the  various  counties  looked  after  them.  Many  of  them  were 
billeted  out  at  8  shillings  a  week.  Westchester  county  was  fairly 
flooded  with  these  refugees,  and  Dutchess  and  Ulster  had  many  of 
them.  In  1780  the  "New  York  poor"  were  put  in  charge  of  Samuel 
Dodge  who  from  1780  to  1783  spent  £75,035  for  them.  A  list  of 
them  for  the  three  counties  mentioned  above  is  still  preserved. 

The  refugees  from  the  border  counties  were  cared  for  by  commis- 
sioners of  the  poor  at  the  expense  of  the  county  committees.  From 
1778  on  donations  were  collected  for  the  "distressed"  driven  from 
their  homes.     The  refugees  from  Long  Island  to  Connecticut  had  their 


202  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

transportation  paid  at  a  cost  of  £5400.  Their  names  have  been  pre- 
served and  are  those  mostly  of  women.  From  Saybrook,  Conn.,  170 
male  refugee  "voters"  of  Suffolk  county  petitioned  the  Convention 
for  relief  and  later  asked  for  a  committee  to  provide  for  their  needs. 
Children  of  these  refugees  were  bound  out  to  learn  trades. 

British  prisoners  of  war  were  under  the  oversight  of  the  commis- 
sioners of  prisoners.  The  first  prisoners  of  war  were  taken  at  Ticon- 
deroga.  Dutchess,  Orange,  Ulster  and  Westchester  counties  had  charge 
of  most  of  these  prisoners.  The  western  bank  of  the  Hudson  was  the 
favorite  place  for  keeping  them,  and  the  principal  detention  camp 
was  at  Goshen  in  Orange  county.  The  practice  of  billeting  them  out 
at  public  expense  was  common.  Ulster  county  had  the  most  of  this 
work  to  do.  "The  fleet  prison"  was  anchored  off  Esopus.  Some  of 
the  prisoners  were  sent  to  the  New  England  states  at  the  expense  of 
New  York, 

Such  is  the  kaleidoscopic  picture  of  New  York's  frantic  efforts  to 
equip  and  feed  the  army,  to  supply  the  civilian  population  with 
articles  which  could  not  be  produced  in  the  State,  and  to  care  for  the 
poor  and  distressed,  which  one  gets  from  the  scattered  and  unorgan- 
ized items  in  the  records  of  the  Revolution.  To  meet  the  desperate 
situation  required  organizing  ability  of  a  high  order,  financial  genius 
to  meet  the  expense,  patience  and  persistence  scarcely  equalled  in 
human  history,  the  capacity  to  endure  deprivations  for  years,  and  a 
sublime  faith  in  a  just  cause.  As  scraps  of  information  are  pieced 
together  from  the  scanty  items  in  the  minutes  of  local  committees 
and  state  legislatures,  military  orders  and  governors'  proclamations, 
private  letters  and  diaries,  and  contemporary  newspapers  and  mem- 
oirs, one  realizes  more  fully  the  indomitable  character  of  the  build- 
ers of  the  Empire  State  and  understands  the  forces  which  created 
a  resourceful  and  self-reliant  people. 


IX 

THE  LOYALISTS  OF  NEW  YORK 

During  the  entire  period  of  New  York  colonial  history,  two  politi- 
cal groups,  one  conservative  and  the  other  progressive,  may  be  traced. 
The  former  was  composed  of  the  colonial  civil  and  military  officials, 
who  represented  overseas  authority,  the  wealthy  landlords  and  their 
retainers,  the  Anglican  clergy  and  most  of  the  rich  merchants.  The 
latter  consisted  of  representatives  of  the  people  in  the  Council  and 
the  Assembly,  some  large  landowners,  the  lawyers,  the  Calvinistic 
clergy,  the  small  shopkeepers  and  the  day  laborers  in  the  villages  and 
cities.  The  various  crises  in  colonial  politics  naturally  caused  more 
or  less  readjustment  in  the  alignment  of  these  two  factions,  for  they 
were  not  parties  in  the  modern  sense. 

In  the  rebellion  occasioned  by  the  Stamp  Act,  Cadwallader  Golden, 
who  knew  well  the  situation  in  New  York,  said  that  the  measures 
of  parliament  were  defended  by  men  like  General  Thomas  Gage, 
Major  James,  Sir  William  Johnson,  the  Anglican  clergy  and  the 
landed  proprietors.  He  thought  that  "great  numbers"  in  New  York 
City  were  intimidated  from  expressing  their  honest  convictions  and 
that  the  farmers  were  friendly. 

The  excesses  of  the  firebrand  patriots  like  the  Sons  of  Liberty 
in  resisting  the  Stamp  Act  soon  alienated  the  conservatives — the  large 
business  men,  the  professional  men  and  the  wealthy  landowners — 
who  at  first  had  encouraged  resistance  and  then  began  to  urge  modera- 
tion and  legal  methods  of  redress.  Here  was  a  prophecy  of  the  schism 
that  was  to  come  in  America  over  the  approaching  Revolution.  A 
New  York  lawyer,  Peter  van  Schaack,  predicted  that  the  "party  spirit 
which*  had  been  aroused  would  never  be  extinguished."  By  1770 
the  two  parties,  liberals  and  conservatives,  Whigs  and  Tories,  were 
fairly  well  developed.  In  New  York  the  extreme  wing  of  the  cautious 
Tory  group,  led  by  Cadwallader  Colden  and  his  coterie,  stood  for  a 
rigid  execution  of  imperial  law.  The  moderate  Tories,  who  consti- 
tuted a  large  majority  of  the  party,  insisted  upon  a  recognition  of 
the  American  interpretation  of  the  British  constitution,  but  wished 
to  maintain  their  rights  by  means  of  petition  and  legal  protest.  Some 
of  them  indeed  were  not  averse  to  a  show  of  force  if  necessary.  With 
their  liberties  once  secured  and  safeguarded,  the  Tories'  fondest  hope 
was  for  peace,  friendly  commercial    relations  and  a  united  Empire. 

[203] 


Roger  Morris 
Painted  by   Benjamin   West 


THE  LOYALISTS  205 

After  1770  every  important  event  became  a  party  issue.  The  Whigs 
and  Tories  held  divergent  views  on  the  most  effective  method  of  re- 
sisting the  Mutiny  Act  and  the  Tea  Tax.  The  Whigs  wanted  to  boy- 
cott all  English  goods;  the  Tories  desired  to  restrict  it  to  tea  alone. 
The  Boston  Port  Bill  aroused  the  ire  of  the  Whigs  but  the  Tories 
believed  that  the  penalized  city  ought  to  pay  for  the  "drowned  tea." 
It  is  apparent  that  the  two  parties  differed  not  over  the  acts  of  the 
British  parliament — for  both  opposed  them — but  over  the  form  which 
that  opposition  should  take.  One  group  of  Tories,  which  may  be 
called  the  ultras,  stood  aloof  almost  entirely,  but  the  liberal  Tories 
advocated  reasonable  measures  of  resistance. 

The  calling  of  the  first  Continental  Congress  in  1774  was  a  sub- 
ject for  party  strife.  Contrary  to  common  belief,  the  Tories  did  not 
take  a  hostile  attitude  towards  the  calling  of  that  extra-legal  body. 
While  a  few  of  the  most  wary  Tories  opposed  the  Congress,  yet  both 
Whigs  and  Tories  worked  hard  to  elect  delegates  of  their  own  con- 
viction. In  New  York  City,  for  example,  the  moderate  Tories  were 
successful  in  the  election,  expecting  some  sort  of  a  conciliation  to 
result  from  the  intercolonial  convention.  Even  ultra-Tories  like  Dr 
Myles  Cooper,  Judge  Thomas  Jones  and  Colden  hoped  it  would  take 
the  conflict  out  of  the  hands  of  the  rabble^  secure  a  redress  of  griev- 
ances, create  a  "firm  union"  upon  "constitutional  principles,"  and 
"produce  some  good."  Others  thought  the  "wisdom  and  prudence  of 
Congress"  might  avert  open  rebellion.  All  hoped  that  peace  would 
result. 

The  first  Continental  Congress  did  not  meet  intentionally  as  revolu- 
tionary body.  There  was  no  design  to  declare  for  armed  resist- 
ance and  few  if  any  dreamed  of  a  Declaration  of  Independence.  The 
object  was  to  uphold  by  reasonable  measures  the  American  interpre- 
tation of  the  political  relations  of  the  various  colonial  governments 
to  the  imperial  government.  No  sooner  had  Congress  convened  than 
the  Tories  set  to  work  with  pamphlets,  poems,  sermons  and  letters  to 
influence  Congress  against  measures  "offensive  to  parliament."  The 
Tories  watched  Congress  with  the  keenest  hope  that  the  outcome  would 
be  peace  with  victory  for  American  rights. 

But  the  Continental  Congress  sadly  disappointed  the  Tories  because 
it  did  not  bring  reconciliation.  They  complained  that  it  was  diverted 
from  its  original  purpose,  had  become  an  instrument  for  the  pro- 
motion of  war,  revolution  and  disunion,  shut  up  the  courts  of  justice, 
and  replaced  the  regular  government  with  illegal  committees.  The 
extreme  Tories  refused  to  recognize  the  Continental  Congress  as  en- 
titled to  obedience  or  possessed  of  power  to  enforce  it,  and  urged  the 


206  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

people  to  look  to  their  legitimate  Assembly  for  leadership.  It  was  not 
until  after  the  holding  of  the  First  Continental  Congress  in  the  summer 
of  1774  that  the  Tories  began  to  use  the  term  "Loyalist"  to  charac- 
terize their  party. 

The  Loyalists  for  the  most  part,  professed  to  be  as  deeply  attached 
to  America  as  the  Whigs.  They  acknowledged  the  British  parliament 
to  be  "the  grand  legislature  of  the  empire,"  but  maintained  the  rights 
of  the  colonies  as  political  units  of  the  empire  and  insisted  that  "the 
line  of  parliamentary  authority  and  American  freedom"  must  be  as- 
certained and  firmly  established  "on  just,  equitable  and  constitutional 
grounds."  In  New  York  they  claimed  that  in  as  much  as  the  colony 
had  enjoyed  home  rule  since  1691,  the  imperial  parliament  could  not 
levy  a  tax  except  through  the  local  Assembly.  Indeed  the  Loyalists, 
along  with  the  Whigs,  denounced  the  plan  of  the  British  parliament 
to  tax  America  as. an  "innovation."  To  restore  peace,  England  was 
told  that  the  acquired  colonial  rights  must  be  recognized. 

Their  positive  and  constructive  proposals  fell  on  deaf  ears  in  Eng- 
land. Revolution  followed  with  surprising  results.  The  Loyalists 
then  centered  their  hopes  on  the  leniency  and  justice  of  the  king  and 
parliament.  They  denounced  the  military  program  of  the  Whigs, 
dreaded  civil  war  as  a  dangerous  obstacle  to  reconciliation,  insisted 
that  the  contest  be  carried  on  constitutionally,  and  demanded  a  peace 
based  on  the  American  theory  of  the  British  constitution.  Most  of 
the  Loyalists  worked  as  zealously  to  stay  the  iron  hand  of  Great  Britain 
as  to  prevent  revolution.  They  wrote  to  England  that  it  was  a  mis- 
take to  send  an  army  and  navy  to  America  to  coerce  the  colonists. 
They  recommended  the  withdrawal  of  armed  forces,  and  the  sus- 
pension of  the  measures  that  caused  the  trouble.  They  advised  the 
recognition  of  the  principle  of  self-taxation,  and  the  institution  of 
an  annual  colonial  congress,  over  whose  acts  the  crown  would  exer- 
cise a  veto.  The  answer  to  this  wise  advice  was  Lexington  and  Con- 
cord, followed  within  a  month  by  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point. 

Meanwhile  the  Provincial  Congress  of  New  York  was  called,  and 
the  local  committees  were  elected,  to  organize  and  guide  colonial 
resistance.  The  "general  association"  was  enforced,  and  served  as  a 
political  thermometer,  because  it  forced  all  to  take  a  stand  and  to  put 
themselves  on  record.  The  bolder  Loyalists  denounced  the  "associa- 
tion," but  those  of  a  timid  nature  saved  themselves  by  subscribing. 
The  "non-associators"  were  held  up  to  public  scorn  as  "enemies  of 
the  country,"  their  names  were  printed  in  the  newspapers,  and  these 
blacklists  became  the  basis  for  future  punishment.  This  was  the  first 
decisive  political  test  that  labelled  a  man  as  either  a  patriot  or  a 
Loyalist. 


THE  LOYALISTS  207 

The  Declaration  of  Independence  gave  finality  to  the  position  of 
the  Loyalists.  "The  Tories  dread  a  Declaration  of  Independence 
.  .  .  more  than  death  itself,"  wrote  a  Whig.  They  declared  that 
separation  from  the  empire  was  a  new  issue,  wholly  inconsistent  with 
the  previous  profession  of  individuals,  committees  and  congresses. 
A  war  of  extermination  began,  not  only  between  Americans  and  Eng- 
lishmen, but  also  between  American  and  American,  brother  and 
brother,  father  and  son,  neighbor  and  neighbor.  The  Loyalists,  now 
openly  forced  to  take  sides,  fought  independence  bitterly  with  the  pen, 
the  Bible,  their  wealth  and  the  sword.  They  denounced  it  as  the  direst 
calamity,  supreme  folly,  diabolically  wicked,  and  suicidal.  This 
movement,  they  said,  engineered  by  debtors,  smugglers,  republicans 
and  the  illiterate  rabble  would  end  in  making  the  colonists  slaves  of 
some  foreign  tyrant.  They  professed  to  believe  that  independence 
was  unattainable  and  that  the  idea  "must  vanish  like  the  baseless 
fabric  of  a  vision." 

The  die  was  cast;  the  roll  was  called.  Every  American  had  to 
choose  between  remaining  a  British  subject  and  being  considered  a 
traitor  to  America;  or  declaring  himself  a  citizen  of  the  new-born 
nation,  and  hence  a  traitor  to  the  crown.  There  was  no  middle  ground 
and  no  possible  compromise.  Those  who  tried  to  follow  a  neutral 
course — and  there  were  many — were  treated  as  enemies  and  harried 
out  of  the  land.  The  unity  of  the  British  Empire  became  the  supr::m? 
issue.  As  a  result,  a  slight  realignment  of  parties  occurred.  Some  of 
the  moderate  Loyalists  were  won  over  to  the  patriot  cause  and  not  a 
few  of  the  conservative  Whigs  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  Loyalists. 
Henceforth  the  Loyalists  were  forced  to  appear  the  unqualified  sup- 
porters of  the  unwise  measures  of  the  British  government  and  the  foes 
of  American  liberties — a  role  inconsistent  with  their  honest  conviction 
and  earlier  assertions.  They  were  Americans  and  proud  of  it.  They 
felt  the  grievances  as  keenly  as  the  Whigs  but  desired  relief  in  legal 
ways.  The  folly  of  the  English  government  and  the  firmness  of  the 
revolutionists  destroyed  all  hope  of  an  amicable  settlement,  however, 
and  precipitated  a  civil  war  which  led  to  momentous  results  unex- 
pected by  both  parties  at  the  outset. 

Before  the  outbreak  of  war  in  April  1775,  no  efforts  were  made  by 
the  revolutionists  to  arrest,  or  even  suppress,  the  Loyalists.  They  were 
denounced  by  the  ardent  patriots  in  resolutions  and  pamphlets,  and 
their  names  were  printed  in  the  newspapers  as  "non-associators." 
After  Lexington,  however,  the  war  fervor  began  to  spread  rapidly  and 
to  grow  more  intense.  Still  almost  4  months  passed  in  New  York  after 
the  fall  of  Ticonderoga  before  the  Provincial  Congress  on  September 


208  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

1,  1775,  adopted  a  general  policy  and  declared  that  any  persons 
found  guilty  before  any  city  or  county  committee  of  supplying  the 
'ministerial  army  or  navy"  or  giving  information  to  the  same,  should 
be  disarmed  and  fined  double  the  value  of  the  articles  supplied;  and  that 
they  should  also  be  imprisoned  for  3  months  after  the  forfeit  was  paid. 
A  second  offense  would  bring  banishment  from  the  colony  for  7  years. 
It  was  also  resolved  to  disarm  those  who  denied  the  authority  of  the 
various  revolutionary  bodies  and  for  a  repetition  of  the  offense  to  con- 
fine them  at  their  own  expense. 

From  April  19  to  September  1,  1775,  the  revolutionary  bodies  of 
New  York  dealt  with  the  internal  foes  of  the  American  cause  as  in- 
dividual cases.  The  "non-associators"  and  obnoxious  Loyalists  were 
handled  as  circumstances  and  public  exigencies  seemed  to  warrant. 
The  local  committees,  which  were  closest  to  the  people,  were  partic- 
ularly active  and  reported  numerous  cases  to  the  county  committees, 
which,  in  turn,  sent  the  more  difl&cult  problems  to  the  Provincial  Con- 
gress or  the  Committee  of  Safety. 

The  Provincial  Convention  of  April  20-22,  1775,  did  nothing  but 
provide  for  the  election  of  the  Provincial  Congress  which  met  on  May 
22d.  Immediately  after  the  opening  of  the  Provincial  Congress  county 
committees  began  to  forward  the  cases  of  notorious  Loyalists  to  it  for 
action.  Guy  Johnson's  will  serve  as  a  typical  instance  of  the  methods 
of  the  committees  and  Provincial  Congress,  and  hence  will  be  given 
in  some  detail. 

Guy  Johnson  was  a  member  of  the  influential  Johnson  family  in  the 
Mohawk  valley.  When  the  Revolution  began  he  was,  as  superintendent 
of  Indian  affairs,  a  crown  officer.  He  had  served  in  the  colonial  As- 
sembly and  was  conversant  with  the  issues  of  the  day  in  which  he  took 
the  side  of  the  British  government.  Evidently  his  attitude  incurred  the 
ill  will  of  the  New  England  patriots,  for  as  early  as  March  20,  1775, 
he  complained  to  the  local  magistrates  that  he  was  threatened  with 
seizure.  His  authority  over  the  Indians  was  extensive,  and  he  was  a 
prominent  personality  in  the  Mohawk  valley.  Because  of  his  influence 
with  the  Indians,  and  with  the  white  settlers  as  well,  his  words  and 
actions  were  watched  with  deep  interest  by  the  patriots. 

Convinced  of  'his  hostility  to  the  American  cause,  the  local  commit- 
tees of  the  Palatine  district  in  Tryon  county  and  of  Schenectady  in 
Albany  county  took  the  lead  in  circumventing  his  injurious  actions.  On 
the  plea  that  the  "Boston  people"  were  trying  to  capture  him,  he  sought 
to  hold  the  loyalty  of  the  Iroquois  nations.  The  Palatine  district  com- 
mittee on  May  18,  1775,  wrote  the  important  Albany  county  committee 
that  the  Johnsons  were  strenuously  trying  to  dissuade  "people  from 


Baron  Steuben 


210  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

coming  into  Congressional  measures;"  that  a  week  before,  supported  by 
their  dependents,  they  had  dispersed  a  meeting  called  in  the  Mohawk 
district  by  the  patriots  to  discuss  their  grievances;  that  Johnson  Hall 
was  being  fortified  and  guarded  by  150  armed  Highlanders;  and  that 
Guy  Johnson  meant  to  use  the  Indians  to  overawe  the  patriots. 

Meanwhile  Guy  Johnson  warned  the  local  committees  of  the  upper 
Mohawk  that  if  he  were  "insulted,"  the  Indians  would  take  a  dreadful 
revenge,  and  that  he  had  fortified  his  house.  To  the  Schenectady  com- 
mittee he  wrote  that  he  meant  to  keep  the  Indians  at  peace  but  asked 
that  the  Albany  county  committee  be  informed  that  he  had  "taken 
precaution  to  give  a  very  hot  and  disagreeable  reception  to  any  per- 
sons who  shall  attempt  to  invade  my  retreat."  This  was  virtually  a 
declaration  of  war  on  the  Albany  county  committee,  which  immediately 
sent  a  subcommittee  to  interview  the  bellicose  Loyalist  and  also  re- 
port the  situation  to  the  first  Provincial  Congress  newly  convened  in 
New  York  City. 

That  body  on  June  3d  in  a  dignified  letter  assured  Guy  Johnson  that 
his  person  and  his  property  were  safe  so  long  as  he  and  his  Indians 
remained  neutral  but  that  he  must  not  "counteract"  any  of  the  measures 
of  the  Continental  Congress,  or  the  Provincial  Congress,  or  the  local 
committees.  Meanwhile  Johnson  ordered  all  the  missionaries  to  leave 
the  Indian  country  —  among  them  the  patriotic  Samuel  Kirkland,  who 
was  working  among  the  Oneidas.  The  patriots  of  Massachusetts  on 
June*  13th  asked  New  York  to  request  the  Continental  Congress  to  take 
steps  to  prevent  Guy  Johnson  from  inciting  the  Indians  to  rise  against, 
the  colonists.  A  month  later  the  Committee  of  Safety  wrote  the  New 
York  delegates  at  Philadelphia  that  Guy  Johnson  had  gone  to  Oswego 
with  1200  Indians.  From  Ontario  he  sent  a  long  letter  to  the  Provincial 
Congress  in  which  he  said  that  he  saw  no  signs  of  the  reconciliation 
he  so  much  desired;  that  the  1340  Indians  with  him  were  displeased 
at  the  actions  of  the  patriots;  that  he  resented  the  plans  to  capture  him 
and  the  confiscation  of  his  letters;  and  that  his  "conscience,  duty  and 
loyalty"  prevented  his  obedience  to  the  revolutionary  bodies.  Late 
in  1775  he  went  to  England,  and  did  not  return  until  after  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence. 

The  second  Loyalist  case  before  the  Provincial  Congress  was  that  of 
Angus  McDonald.  He  was  brought  before  that  body  and  confessed  that 
he  had  recruited  forty  men  for  a  battalion  of  Highlanders.  After  con- 
fessing his  guilt,  he  was  sent  as  a  prisoner  to  Connecticut.  A  letter 
found  on  his  person  showed  that  Captain  Alexander  McDonald  was 
similarly  engaged  in  Richmond  county.  His  arrest  was  ordered,  but 
he  fled  to  Boston. 


THE  LOYALISTS  211 

These  three  cases  mark  the  beginning  of  armed  resistance  by  the 
Loyalists  to  the  revolutionary  authority  in  New  York,  From  this  time 
on  naturally  the  cases  multiplied  in  number,  particularly  after  laws 
were  enacted  to  disarm  and  punish  obnoxious  Loyalists.  The  action  of 
September  1,  1775,  to  which  reference  has  been  made,  was  followed  on 
September  16th  by  a  vote  of  the  Committee  of  Safety  to  empower  the 
county  committees  to  disarm  all  "non-associators"  in  order  that  the 
"destitute"  continental  recruits  might  be  equipped.  On  October  6, 
1775,  the  Continental  Congress  recommended  to  the  revolutionary 
bodies  that  all  persons  whose  going  at  large  might  eridanger  the  safety 
of  the  colony  or  the  liberty  of  America  should  be  arrested  and  secured. 
That  body  on  December  30th  sent  General  Schuyler  with  a  large  armed 
force  to  seize  the  arms  and  stores  of  the  Tories  in  Tryon  county  and 
"to  apprehend  their  chiefs."  After  surrendering  his  military  stores  and 
the  arms  of  his  tenants,  Sir  John  Johnson  was  released  on  parole.  When 
Sir  John  fled  to  Canada,  for  fear  of  arrest,  Johnson  Hall  was  sacked, 
and  Lady  Johnson  was  taken  as  a  hostage  to  Fishkill  but  soon  escaped 
to  the  British. 

Many  Loyalists  particularly  in  southern  New  York  were  disarmed 
before  the  Provincial  Congress  on  October  24th  disapproved  of  the 
earlier  order.  Four  months  later,  on  March  14,  1776,  the  Continental 
Congress  again  directed  that  all  "non-associators"  and  "notoriously 
disaffected"  be  disarmed.  On  the  same  day  that  this  resolution  was 
read  in  the  Committee  of  Safety,  Governor  Tryon's  address  to  the  peo- 
ple of  New  York  was  issued  saying  "that  a  door  is  still  open  to  .  .  . 
such  deluded  persons"  as  would  accept  the  justice  offered  by  the  king 
and  parliament.  About  2  weeks  later,  on  March  27th,  the  Committee 
of  Safety,  in  response  to  the  recommendation  of  the  Continental  Con- 
gress, asked  all  the  local  committees  to  disarm  all  the  "disaffected" 
and  those  who  refused  to  sign  a  revised  association,  using  the  militia 
if  necessary,  and  to  report  their  actions  to  the  Provincial  Congress. 

Obedient  to  the  Continental  Congress,  the  Committee  of  Safety  once 
more  ordered  the  county  committees  to  disarm  all  Loyalists  who  re- 
fused to  take  an  oath  of  obedience  to  the  revolutionary  powers.  Whole 
neighborhoods  were  disarmed,  and  the  militia  was  used  to  accomplish 
it.  Those  who  refused  to  swear  that  all  arms  had  been  surrendered 
were  fined  5  shillings  a  day  while  the  militia  was  in  service.  To 
guard  against  the  influx  of  Loyalists  from  other  colonies  every  stranger 
was  forced  to  show  a  certificate  from  his  home  committee. 

The  closing  months  of  1775  and  the  early  months  of  1776  were 
witnesses  to  the  arrest  and  trial  of  hundreds  of  Loyalists.  In  the  ma- 
jority of  instances  the  local  committees  handled  the  cases.     The  other 


212  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

cases  went  to  the  provincial  bodies.  The  Albany  and  Ulster  county  jails 
were  used  as  detention  camps.  The  Loyalists  in  Queens  county  and  in 
Richmond  county  were  the  noisiest  and  most  obdurate.  On  December 
11,  1775,  Jesse  Brush,  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Huntington,  Suffolk 
county,  and  a  member  of  the  local  committee,  reported  to  the  Provin- 
cial Congress  that  the  Loyalists  in  Queens  county  were  numerous  and 
had  been  armed  from  the  ship  "Asia;"  that  they  were  ready  to  crush 
the  Revolution;  and  that  they  were  holding  their  fat  cattle  for  the 
British  army.  The  Provincial  Congress  pronounced  that  county 
"inimical"  and  ordered  it  to  send  a  committee  at  once  to  explain 
its  conduct. 

On  December  21st,  since  the  people  of  Queens  county  failed  to  send 
the  committee  ordered,  the  Provincial  Congress,  taking  into  account 
the  fact  that  Queens  and  Richmond  counties  were  not  represented  in 
that  body  because  of  a  negative  vote,  ordered  the  names  of  734  of  the 
Loyalists  printed  in  all  the  newspapers  and  in  handbills  as  guilty  of  a 
breach  of  the  general  association  and  contempt  for  the  authority  of  the 
people.  The  "delinquents"  of  both  counties  were  "put  out  of  the  pro- 
tection" of  the  Provincial  Congress  and  placed  under  a  commercial 
boycott.  The  Committee  of  Safety  was  authorized  to  deal  with  them 
as  it  pleased,  and  the  Continental  Congress  was  urged  to  send  troops 
to  suppress  them.  This  is  the  earliest  example  of  disaffection  in  New 
York  on  a  wide  scale,  and  it  is  rather  significant  to  remember  that  it 
occurred  8  months  after  the  outbreak  of  war  and  about  7  months  be- 
fore the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  issued.  So  serious  was  the 
situation  that  the  Continental  Congress  singled  out  nineteen  leaders  and 
ordered  them  imprisoned  by  Colonel  Heard  who  appeared  with  them 
before  the  Continental  Congress  on  February  6,  1776.  In  May  Tories 
were  reported  to  be  active  in  Kings  district  of  Albany  county. 

Meanwhile  the  Provincial  Congress  appointed  a  committee  to  devise 
adequate  ways  and  means  to  deal  with  "the  intestine  enemies."  The 
chairman,  John  Alsop,  reported  on  May  24,  1776,  that  the  "enemies  of 
American  liberty"  had  their  own  committees  of  correspondence  through 
which  they  poisoned  the  people's  minds  with  false  reports;  that  the 
Tories  were  particularly  numerous  in  Queens,  Kings  and  New  York 
counties  and  elsewhere  and  were  ready  to  take  up  arms  whenever  the 
prospect  of  success  seemed  good;  that  the  crown  officers  and  Tories 
were  "liable  to  suffer  injuries"  from  the  resentment  of  patriots;  that 
continental  troops  should  apprehend  the  most  notorious  Loyalists  at 
the  direction  of  Washington;  and  that  county  committees  should  arrest 
all  crown  officers  and  Loyalists.  The  next  day  the  Provincial  Congress 
appointed   Scott,   Morris,   Jay,    Haring   and   Remsen   a   committee   to 


THE  LOYALISTS  213 

frame  a  law  at  once  dealing  with  the  Loyalists.  The  committee  re- 
ported on  May  28th,  but  the  hostility  of  Richmond  county  postponed 
consideration  of  the  report  for  a  week. 

On  June  5,  1776,  the  report  was  adopted.  It  cited  the  order  of  the 
Continental  Congress  on  October  6,  1775,  as  authority.  It  repeated  the 
belief  that  the  Loyalists  had  secret  means  of  communication.  It  men- 
tioned Queens,  Kings,  Richmond  and  Westchester  counties  as  being  full 
of  Tories  and  gave  the  names  of  about  a  hundred  of  the  most  prominent 
ones  who  should  be  tried,  and  if  found  guilty  put  in  jail,  or  placed 
under  bond,  or  banished  to  another  colony.  As  a  result  of  this  report 
the  first  effective  state  committee  on  the  Loyalists  was  named  —  a  com- 
mittee of  seven  members  consisting  of  Gouverneur  Morris,  Henry 
Remsen,  John  Ten  Broeck,  John  Haring,  Thomas  Tredwell,  Lewis 
Graham  and  Joseph  Hallett.  Five  of  them  could  act  as  a  quorum. 
An  oath  of  office  was  required.  The  committee  was  clothed  with  wide 
powers  to  seize  or  summon  enemies  of  American  liberty,  to  send  for 
witnesses,  and  to  impose  sentences.  The  local  committees  were  all 
authorized  at  the  same  time  to  arrest  suspects  and  send  them  to  the 
county  committees  for  trial. 

The  feeling  against  the  Loyalists  in  New  York  City  ran  high  in 
June  1776,  and  resulted  in  an  attack  on  them  by  a  mob  on  June  12th. 
The  Provincial  Congress-  disapproved  of  the  riots  as  the  product  of  a 
zeal  for  liberty,  urged  the  people  to  maintain  "decency  and  good 
order,"  and  promised  that  the  "constitutional  representatives  of  the 
colony"  would  render  the  Tories  harmless. 

This  original  committee  of  seven  was  changed  before  its  first  meet- 
ing on  June  15th  to  nine  members.  Remsen,  Ten  Broeck  and  Haring 
were  excused,  and  Philip  Livingston,  John  Jay,  Leonard  Gansevoort, 
John  Sloss  Hobart  and  Thomas  Randall  were  added.  The  committee 
took  the  oath  of  office  before  the  Provincial  Congress  on  June  14th  and 
organized  for  business  the  next  day.  This  first  state  body  appointed  to 
try  the  Loyalists  sat  from  June  15th  to  June  30th  and  kept  its  records 
faithfully.  During  that  time  about  150  names  of  Loyalists,  mostly  in 
southern  New  York,  were  brought  before  the  committee.  Many  of  them 
were  summoned  and  examined  as  to  their  actions  and  sentiments.  Those 
tried  were  pronounced  either  innocent  or  guilty  of  injuring  the  Ameri- 
can cause,  and  the  latter  were  either  put  on  parole  or  under  bond. 

While  this  committee  was  in  session  the  Provincial  Congress  on 
June  20th  resolved  that  all  persons  in  the  State  who  had  not  signed 
the  earlier  form  of  association  should  be  approached  and  asked  to  sign 
a  modified  form  which  was  formulated.  All  who  subscribed  to  it 
should  have  their  arms,  or  the  value,  restored  to  them,  but  those  who 


214  THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

refused  should  be  forthwith  disarmed  and  forced  to  swear  that  they 
had  given  up  all  weapons.  If  they  refused  to  comply,  they  should  "be 
committed  to  safe  custody"  until  they  yielded.  The  county  commit- 
tees were  told  to  carry  out  this  order  "with  diligence  and  punctuality." 

Meanwhile  Washington  arrived  in  New  York  City  after  having  driven 
the  British  out  of  Boston.  The  problem  of  the  Loyalists  was  presented 
by  him  to  a  council  of  war  on  June  28,  1776,  at  which  it  was  recom- 
mended that  the  county  committees  should  hold  all  dangerous  Tories 
in  jail  and  not  release  them  on  bond  until  the  Provincial  Congress 
could  act.  Two  days  later  that  body  authorized  Washington  to  make 
all  arrests  of  Tories  necessary  for  the  "security  of  this  colony  and  the 
liberties  of  America."  On  the  same  day  it  was  reported  to  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress  that  a  majority  of  the  militia  of  Haverstraw  precinct 
were  "notoriously  disaffected,"  hence  seven  of  the  leaders  were  ordered 
sent  under  arrest  to  New  York  City  and  the  other  insurgents  were  dis- 
armed. At  the  same  time,  since  it  was  rumored  that  Tories  were  hiding 
in  the  woods  and  swamps  ready  to  join  the  British,  the  local  commit- 
tees were  instructed  to  use  the  militia  to  arrest  them.  General  Putnam 
reported  to  the  Provincial  Congress  on  June  3,  1776,  that  Tories  from 
Westchester,  Dutchess  and  Albany  counties,  who  were  confined  in 
prison  in  the  Highlands,  had  been  put  to  hard  labor,  and- asked  for  in- 
structions. That  body  told  him  that  they  should  be  confined  but  not 
forced  to  work. 

A  good  example  of  the  activity  of  local  authorities  in  dealing  with 
the  Tories  was  that  of  the  conunittee  of  Salem  in  Westchester  county. 
This  local  board  reported  to  the  Provincial  Congress  on  June  8th  that 
"a  large  number"  of  Loyalists  were  located  there.  Some  had  been 
"advertised"  and  others  placed  under  bonds  of  £200.  The  latter,  in 
certain  instances,  had  absconded  and  forfeited  their  bonds.  What 
should  be  done  with  the  forfeited  bonds?  Might  they  be  taken  in 
stock  or  grain?  Could  they  be  used  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  com- 
mittee? The  Provincial  Congress  replied  that  the  questions  should  be 
settled  when  the  State  Government  was  created.  On  June  20th  the 
militia  of  Dutchess  and  Westchester  counties  was  called  out  by  the 
Provincial  Congress  to  suppress  the  Tories  under  orders  from  the 
county  committees.  On  July  9th  the  county  sheriffs  were  ordered  to 
hold  Loyalists  as  prisoners  until  further  instructions  were  received. 

The  acceptance  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  by  the  newly 
elected  Convention  on  July  9,  1776,  sealed  the  fate  of  the  Loyalists. 
They  were  now  confronted  by  a  free  state,  and  not  by  a  colony  of  the 
British  Empire.  They  had  to  deal  with  a  regular  State  Government  and 
not  extra-legal,   revolutionary  bodies  with  questionable  power.     The 


THE  LOYALISTS  215 

Convention,  on  the  very  day  that  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was 
ratified,  created  a  new  committee  on  the  Loyalists.  It  was  formed  by 
uniting  the  committee  of  June  5th  with  another  committee  appointed 
to  confer  with  Washington  and  reducing  the  number  to  six  —  Hobart, 
Morris,  Graham,  Gansevoort,  Randall  and  Remsen  —  all  members  of 
the  earlier  body.  No  doubt  it  was  intended  that  this  committee  should 
be  a  continuation  of  the  older  one.  It  was  clothed  with  additional 
powers.  It  could  dispose  of  all  prisoners  in  and  about  New  York  City, 
and  appoint  a  commissary  for  them.  It  was  authorized  to  remove  the 
New  York  jailer  if  necessary  and  have  the  sheriff  appoint  a  better  man. 
To  it  was  transferred  the  power  bestowed  temporarily  upon  Washing- 
ton to  arrest  and  punish  Tories.  The  members  of  the  committee  took 
an  oath  of  office  and  were  instructed  to  proceed  according  to  "dictates 
of  justice  and  humanity,  and  most  advantageous  of  the  public  good." 
Unfortunately  all  trace  of  the  work  of  this  committee  has  been  swal- 
lowed up  in  the  turmoil  incident  to  the  arrival  of  the  British.  No 
doubt  it  was  kept  busy  protecting  the  new  State  from  injury  at  the 
hands  of  the  Loyalists. 

Prior  to  July  4,  1776,  the  treatment  of  the  Loyalists  by  the  revolu- 
tionary provincial  bodies  of  New  York  was  firm  but  moderate.  Most 
of  them  were  dismissed  on  parole,  some  were  put  under  bond,  and 
a  few  were  banished  or  imprisoned.  The  patriots  were  exasperated 
at  this  leniency.  Washington  complained  of  New  York's  inactivity 
and  the  Continental  Congress  sent  some  sharp  notes.  General  Charles 
Lee  suggested  that  after  being  disarmed  the  Loyalists  be  required  to 
deposit  a  half  of  their  property  with  the  Continental  Congress  as  a 
pledge  of  good  behavior.  John  Hancock  urged  New  York  to  attaint 
all  traitors.  John  Adams  urged  Washington  to  extend  his  military 
authority  to  include  them,  but  the  Provincial  Congress  jealously 
guarded  its  civil  rights.  It  took  great  pains  to  have  the  arrest  and 
punishment  of  the  Loyalists  accord  with  both  national  and  state  law. 
When  local  committees,  military  men,  and  mobs  proceeded  against 
Loyalists  without  authority,  they  were  not  infrequently  called  to 
account  for  arbitrary  action.  On  the  whole  local  and  provincial  bodies 
endeavored  to  give  the  accused  fair  trials.  In  Albany  county  Loyalists 
might  demand  that  their  accusers  face  them,  but  they  were  allowed 
neither  counsel  nor  witnesses  in  their  own  behalf.  The  Loyalists 
refused  to  recognize  the  legal  status  of  these  revolutionary  bodies, 
however,  and  raised  the  cry  of  injustice  and  autocracy. 

So  bitter  was  the  feeling  against  the  Loyalists  that  the  mob  spirit 
broke  forth  again  and  again  to  penalize  friends,  neighbors  and  rela- 
tives, who  could  not  see  the  conflict  as  the  patriots  did.     Obnoxious 


216  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

Loyalists  were  the  victims  of  "an  excess  of  the  spirit  of  liberty." 
Their  printing  presses  were  destroyed;  their  libraries  burned;  their 
windows*  were  broken;  their  live  stock  and  personal  effects  were  stolen; 
they  were  ducked  in  ponds;  they  were  ridden  on  rails  and  they  were 
tarred  and  feathered.  Loud  were  the  lamentations  of  the  Loyalists 
against  the  deeds  of  the  "Republican  mob,"  as  it  was  called.  Humane 
patriots  like  John  Jay  and  Generals  Mifflin  and  Putnam  appealed  to 
the  authorities  to  end  this  cruel  rioting.  The  New  York  Provincial 
Congress  did  denounce  rioting  and  asked  that  the  disaffected  be  left 
for  punishment  to  the  constitutional  representatives  of  the  colony. 
The  Loyalists,  however,  were  unable  to  see  any  difference  between 
disorderly  mobs  and  revolutionary  legislatures  and  tribunals,  for  both, 
they  said,  deprived  them  of  their  rights,  liberties  and  property.  When 
in  December  1776  the  New  York  Provincial  Congress  ordered  the 
Committee  of  Public  Safety  to  secure  all  the  tar  "necessary  for  the 
public  use  and  public  safety,"  the  Loyalists  pointed  to  the  act  as 
proof  of  the  alliance  between  the  pretended  legal  body  and  the  law- 
less mob. 

In  the  heat  and  excitement  of  the  day  neither  party  could  see  honor 
or  honesty  in  the  other.  The  Whigs  charged  the  Loyalists  with  look- 
ing upon  "the  rights  of  mankind"  as  visionary,  upon  patriotism  as 
hypocrisy,  and  upon  liberty  as  an  empty  shadow.  Their  behavior 
was  denounced  as  the  "sheerest  satire  upon  the  species" — a  compound 
of  insincerity,  falsehood,  cowardice  and  selfishness.  In  1765  they 
had  been  patriots  clamoring  for  liberty;  in  1774  they  called  the  Con- 
tinental Congress  and  denied  the  right  of  the  British  parliament  to 
tax  them;  but  in  1776  they  joined  the  enemy,  condemned  the  prin- 
ciples they  once  advocated,  and  treated  congresses  of  the  people  with 
contempt.  This  "set  of  wretches,"  "shameless  apostates,"  "a  puny 
tribe  of  voluntary  slaves,"  "most  obnoxious  animals,"  should  be 
hunted  out  and  destroyed  for  the  sake  of  self-preservation. 

Of  course  the  Loyalists  also  exhausted  the  dictionary  of  that  day 
in  returning  these  compliments.  The  ultras,  known  as  "non-as- 
sociators,"  who  believed  revolution  and  independence  wicked  and 
hopeless,  valiantly  fought  for  a  losing  cause.  They  denounced  the 
temporizing  inactivity  of  the  imperial  power  and  demanded  more 
active  relief  through  the  British  army  and  navy.  Orderly  despotism 
was  preferable  to  mob  tyranny.  The  scheme  for  independence  was 
the  "barest  hypocrisy."  They  wished  themselves  in  free  England 
instead  of  autocratic  America.  In  pamphlet,  poem,  sermon  and  ora- 
tion they  voiced  their  sentiments  until  silenced  by  force  and  the  din 
of  war.    The  moderates,  who  after  1776  wished  nothing  more  than  to 


THE  LOYALISTS  217 

remain  neutral,  signed  the  association.  "We  are  at  present  all  Whigs," 
wrote  a  Loyalist  in  June  1775,  "until  the  arrival  of  the  King's  troops." 
The  occupation  of  New  York  City  in  1776  was  greeted  with  joy  by 
the  Loyalists,  for  their  only  hope  now  lay  in  the  success  of  British 
arms. 

Before  the  capture  of  New  York  City  and  the  surrounding  territory 
by  the  British  in  1776,  Queens  county  was  the  storm  center  of  loyalism. 
Richmond,  Westchester  and  Kings  counties  were  not  far  behind 
Queens.  In  fact  every  county  in  the  State  had  its  group  of  Loyalists, 
and  they  were  numerous  in  the  cities  of  New  York  and  Albany.  With 
the  occupation  of  the  southern  part  of  the  State  by  the  British  many 
thousands  who  had  been  passive  patriots  repudiated  their  new  allegi- 
ance, openly  proclaimed  themselves  Loyalists  and  took  the  oath  of 
loyalty.  Other  thousands  flocked  to  New  York  City  from  upstate 
counties  and  from  other  colonies.  The  lines  were  so  rigidly  drawn 
that  every  man  in  the  colony  had  to  choose  between  the  new  State  and 
the  British  Empire.  The  60,000  inhabitants  of  southern  New  York 
were  restored  to  English  rule,  the  civil  courts  were  reopened,  and  the 
property  of  the  revolutionists  was  confiscated.  The  people  over- 
whelmed the  Howes  with  loyal  addresses.  Food,  fuel  and  clothing 
were  supplied  the  troops,  and  contributions  of  money  were  made. 
The  Loyalist  women  of  New  York  City  presented  an  armed  privateer 
called  "The  Fair  American."  A  counter  declaration  of  independence 
of  all  congresses  and  committees  was  generally  signed.  Long  lists 
of  Loyalists  were  sent  to  the  British  king  who  promised  land  grants 
to  all  Loyalists  who  would  help  to  crush  the  insurrection.  A  series 
of  proclamations  announced  the  expectation  of  an  early  peace. 

From  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution,  the  English  government  pur- 
sued the  policy  of  arming  the  Loyalists  against  the  patriots.  Before 
the  British  army  reached  New  York,  many  of  the  Loyalists  had  already 
armed,  and  some  recruiting  had  taken  place.  Guy  Johnson,  Sir  John 
Johnson,  John  and  Walter  Butler  and  Daniel  Claus  had  gone  to  Canada 
with  armed  Loyalists  and  Indians.  The  Loyalists  of  southern  New 
York  boasted  that  they  were  going  to  free  themselves  with  the  aid  of 
royal  troops.  As  inducements  to  enlist  the  Loyalists  were  promised 
good  commissions,  the  pay  of  regulars,  bounties  in  money  and  land, 
and  the  estates  of  the  revolutionists.  Soon  thousands  of  New  York 
Loyalists  were  serving  under  the  British  flag.  A  provincial  corps  and  a 
company  of  horse  were  raised  on  Staten  Island.  Soon  2000  Long 
Island  Loyalists  were  serving  under  Howe.  James  De  Lancey  raised 
a  troop  of  light  horse  in  Westchester  county,  and  in  1778  he  invaded 


218  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

Suffolk  county  with  1000  Loyalist  troops.  Oliver  De  Lancey  was 
commissioned  brigadier  general  to  recruit  1500  Loyalists.  By  1777 
it  was  reported  that  four  or  five  regiments  were  organized. 

Ten  corps  of  Loyalists  troops  were  reported  to  be  on  the  Canadian 
border.  They  played  a  leading  part  in  the  battle  of  Oriskany  and 
were  with  Burgoyne  in  his  i'nvasion  of  the  State  in  1777.  They  also 
devastated  the  western  settlements  and  left  behind  for  themselves 
and  their  Indian  allies  a  reputation  for  terror  and  cruelty  not  yet 
forgotten  in  those  regions. 

The  enlistment  of  Loyalist  soldiers  and  sailors  continued  through- 
out the  war.  They  served  as  militia  and  as  regular  provincial  troops, 
and  in  New  York  alone  approximated  all  told  15,000  regulars  and 
8500  militia.    Most  of  the  spies  in  the  British  army  were  Loyalists. 

To  crush  the  Revolution,  the  Loyalists  contributed  supplies  and 
money  as  well  as  soldiers.  Staten  Island  raised  £500  for  the  Loyalist 
troops.  New  York  City  gave  £2000  in  2  weeks  for  the  same  purpose. 
Kings  county  contributed  £300  for  Colonel  Fanning's  battalion. 
Queens  and  Suffolk  counties  donated  similar  sums.  Just  how  much 
was  actually  collected  by  the  Loyalists  to  help  win  the  war  is  not 
clear,  but  it  was  a  voluntary  gift  of  considerable  size. 

After  New  York  became  an  independent  State,  it  was  in  a  position 
to  define  citizenship  and  treason.  Consequently  on  July  16,  1776, 
the  Convention  decreed  that  all  persons  in  the  State  owed  allegiance 
to  the  laws  of  the  State  of  New  York  and  hence  those  who  helped  to 
make  war  on  the  State  were  guilty  of  treason,  the  penalty  for  which 
was  death.  All  suspected  traitors  were  to  be  seized  by  the  local  com- 
mittees. The  cases  became  so  numerous  and  the  British  invasion  from 
the  north  and  south  so  threatening  that  on  September  21,  1776,  a  new 
standing  committee  of  seven  was  appointed  with  wide  powers  "for 
detecting  and  defeating  all  conspiracies"  against  the  State  or  Nation. 
Six  members  of  the  Convention  were  chosen  at  once— William  Duer, 
Charles  De  Witt,  Leonard  Gansevoort,  John  Jay,  Zephaniah  Piatt  and 
Nathaniel  Lockett.  The  seventh  member,  Pierre  Van  Cortlandt,  was 
added  on  October  15th.  In  January  1777  four  additional  members 
were  placed  on  the  committee  in  order  to  assure  an  attendance  of  the 
necessary  quorum  of  three. 

The  committee  organized  on  September  28,  1776,  sat  almost  daily 
and  continued  for  more  than  4  months  before  it  was  dissolved  on 
February  11,  1777.  This  body  was  overwhelmed  with  work  as  may 
be  seen  from  the  fact  that  during  its  brief  existence  it  heard  and 
decided  as  many  as  500  cases  covering  many  subjects.     The  punish- 


THE  LOYALISTS  219 

ments  of  the  Loyalists  were  more  severe,  naturally,  than  in  the  earlier 
period.  The  committee  had  its  own  armed  forces  to  carry  out  its 
orders,  an  efficient  secret  service  system,  express  riders  and  ample 
funds.  The  numerous  local  committees  were  ordered  to  report  all 
machinations  of  the  internal  enemies  to  this  state  body. 

For  some  reason,  not  quite  clear  in  the  records,  the  Convention, 
after  dissolving  the  committee  on  February  11,  1777,  created  in  its 
place  a  commission  of  three  members  for  detecting  conspiracies. 
This  new  board  was  composed  of  Egbert  Benson,  Jacobus  Swartwout 
and  Melancton  Smith.  It  met  on  February  15th,  selected  Benson  as 
chairman,  and  succeeded  to  all  the  powers  and  difficulties  of  its  prede- 
cessor. It  also  held  daily  sessions,  first  at  Fishkill,  and  later  at 
Poughkeepsie  and  other  places.  When  on  March  7,  1777  the  Con- 
vention ordered  all  deported  Loyalists  recalled  and  tendered  an  oath 
of  allegiance  to  the  American  cause,  the  work  of  the  commission  was 
so  heavy  that  Peter  Cantine  jr  and  Joseph  Strong  were  added  to  it. 
The  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  new  State  was  now  made  the  supreme 
test  of  loyalism.  Those  who  refused  to  take  it  were  penalized  in 
various  ways  as  circumstances  dictated.  This  commission  came  to  an 
end  on  September  10,  1777,  when  the  Convention  was  succeeded  by 
the  Legislature  created  by  the  Constitution  of  1777. 

The  capture  of  the  Highland  forts  by  the  British  induced  the  Legis- 
lature, on  October  7,  1777,  to  revive  the  commission  for  detecting  con- 
spiracies and  to  give  it  all  the  authority  which  it  had  exercised  under 
the  Convention.  In  addition  it  was  charged  with  the  removal  of  pris- 
oners from  Kingston  to  Connecticut.  For  the  next  4  months  the  com- 
mission existed  and  was  busy,  no  doubt,  but  its  records. are  missing. 
Fortunately  the  minutes  of  the  first  committee  and  the  first  commis- 
sion to  detect  and  defeat  conspiracies  for  a  period  from  December 
11,  1776  to  September  23,  1778,  have  been  printed  by  the  New  York 
Historical  Society. 

This  body  was  succeeded  on  February  5,  1778,  by  the  creation  of 
a  new  board  with  the  same  name.  The  ten  members  originally  pro- 
posed were  increased  on  April  3d  to  thirty  selected  from  the  seven 
counties  under  patriot  control.  Each  of  the  members  had  statewide 
jurisdiction,  but  they  sat  as  county  boards.  Each  board  was  required 
to  keep  minutes  but  all  of  the  records  are  lost,  except  those  of  the 
Albany  county  board  which  have  been  published  by  the  State  for  the 
period  from  April  13,  1778,  to  August  30,  1781.  The  commissioners 
were  not  discharged  until  March  27,  1783,  and  thus  for  5  years  exer- 
cised general  supervision  over  all  cases  of  loyalism.    They  cooperated 


220  THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

with  the  Governor,  the  Legislature  and  the  military  leaders,  and  seem 
to  have  superseded  largely  the  earlier  county  committees.  Naturally 
their  discharge  of  disagreeable  duties  aroused  much  hostility  among 
the  patriot  friends  and  relatives  of  Loyalists;  but  they  were  able  men 
of  wide  experience  who  performed  their  uncongenial  tasks  faithfully 
under  the  law. 

The  minutes  of  the  Albany  board  of  commissioners  give  a  remark- 
able picture  of  their  activities,  covering  counterfeiters,  deserters,  mur- 
derers, passes,  prisoners,  robbers  and  traitors.  Hundreds  of  cases 
of  loyalisrn  were  investigated  and  punishment  meted  out  to  the  guilty. 
Since  this  board  was  the  largest  in  the  State  it  is  reasonable  to  con- 
clude that  its  activities  were  the  most  numerous.  No  doubt  the  other 
boards  were  equally  busy.  These  commissioners,  though  seldom  men- 
tioned in  histories  of  the  State,  deserve  as  much  credit  as  the  generals 
and  statesmen  for  helping  to  win  victory  for  the  American  cause. 

The  confiscation  and  sale  of  the  property  of  the  Loyalists  was  a 
problem  which  involved  special  laws  and  special  political  agencies. 
At  first,  when  the  Loyalists  were  disarmed  and  imprisoned  or  paroled, 
care  was  taken  to  safeguard  their  possessions.  As  the  conflict  became 
more  acute,  however,  this  policy  of  property  protection  gave  way  to 
confiscation.  The  English  set  the  example,  when  New  York  was  taken 
in  1776,  by  seizing  the  estates  of  patriots  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
State  and  by  promising  to  the  Loyalists  the  property  of  their  rebellious 
brothers.  At  first  arms  only  were  taken  from  the  Loyalists.  Then 
on  September  1,  1775,  those  supplying  the  British  were  required  to 
pay  double  the  value  of  the  supplies.  Those  who  enlisted  or  armed 
against  the  liberties  of  America  were  penalized  by  having  their 
personal  property  turned  over  to  the  nearest  committee  to  be  held  in 
trust.  This  order  was  soon  taken  as  authority  for  confiscation. 
Loyalists  under  bond,  who  escaped,  had  their  estates  confiscated  to 
pay  the  bond.  For  instance,  on  January  7,  1777,  three  horses  belong- 
ing to  Moses  Shaw  were  sold  at  public  vendue  at  Fishkill  for  £27  15s. 

The  definition  of  treason  by  the  Continental  Congress  on  June  24, 

1776,  soon  followed  by  a  similar  action  in  New  York,  supplied  a  legal 
basis  for  confiscation,  which  was  accentuated  by  the  Declaration  of 
Independence.  The  personal  property  of  Loyalists,  such  as  farm 
produce,  live  stock,  tools  and  furniture,  was  quite  generally  appro- 
priated after  July  4,  1776,  and  in  some  cases  sold.  Definite  instruc- 
tions were  given  to  the  "commissioners  on  conspiracies"  to  seize  the 
effects  of  all  Loyalists  who  broke  their  parole,  and  on  February  22, 

1777,  six  commissioners  were  appointed  to  sell  all  the  personal  prop- 


THE  LOYALISTS  221 

erty  of  those  who  fled  to  the  enemy.  Local  committees  were  asked 
to  prepare  lists.  On  March  6th  the  Convention  appointed  three  paid 
commissioners  of  sequestration  for  each  county  not  in  British  hands,  to 
seize,  and  after  10  days"  notice,  to  sell  all  the  personal  property  of 
those  who  had  joined  the  British,  the  proceeds  to  go  to  the  State 
Treasury.  These  commissioners  with  numerous  changes  were  con- 
tinued after  the  war  until  May  12,  1784.  Subsequently  laws  enlarged 
their  powers  and  kept  them  very  busy.  The  sales  of  the  personal 
property  of  the  Loyalists  brought  into  the  State  Treasury  more  than 
£260.000  from  the  seven  upstate  counties.  After  the  recovery  of  south- 
ern New  York  from  the  British,  the  sales  of  personal  property  of 
Loyalists  for  that  region  brought  that  sum  up  to  about  £300,000 
which  equalled  about  $750,000. 

Between  August  3,  1775,  and  October  22,  1779,  in  response  to 
popular  clamor,  the  houses  and  lands  of  obnoxious  ^Loyalists  were 
seized  and  held  in  trust  by  the  State.  Receipts  from  farm  products 
and  rents  went  to  the  State  Treasury.  In  1778  John  Jay  proposed 
the  confiscation  and  sale  of  the  real  estate  of  the  Loyalists.  On 
October  22,  1779,  a  law  was  passed  which  attainted  fifty-nine  Loyalists 
and  declared  their  possessions  forfeited.  The  act  further  provided 
that  any  person,  on  the  oath  of  one  credible  witness,  proved  guilty 
of  loyalism,  and  failing  to  appear  after  4  weeks'  advertising  in  the 
newspaper,  would  forfeit  his  property. 

Commissioners  of  forfeiture  were  appointed  for  each  of  the  four 
"great  districts"  of  the  State — ^three  for  the  western,  two  for  the  south- 
ern, and  one  each  for  the  other  two.  They  were  authorized  to  sell 
all  confiscated  and  forfeited  lands  at  public  sales  in  small  parcels. 
The  sales  Legan  in  1780  and  continued  under  the  commissioners  until 
1788,  when  the  work  was  transferred  to  the  Surveyor  General.  Al- 
though the  English  historian's  estimate  that  "two-thirds  of  the  prop- 
erty of  New  York"  belonged  to  Loyalists  and  the  crown  is  undoubtedly 
exaggerated,  the  total  acreage  was  large,  and  the  State  of  New  York 
realized  from  it  well  over  $3,000,000. 

The  estates  of  the  Loyalists,  some  of  them  consisting  of  50,000 
acres,  or  more,  were  cut  up  into  farms  of  from  100  acres  upward 
and  sold  in  part  to  land  speculators  and  in  part  to  former  tenants 
and  poor  farmers,  thus  helping  to  form  a  sturdy  class  of  citizens  in 
the  new  State. 

The  Loyalists  lost  not  only  their  property  but  also  their  cause,  and 
with  them  their  homes  and  their  right  to  citizenship  in  the  new  State. 
In  New  York  those  who  remained  after  the  Revolution  were  disfran- 


222  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

chised,  discriminated  against  in  taxation,  and  boycotted  in  business 
and  professional  patronage.  Thousands  of  them  lived  down  the 
obloquy  brought  upon  them  by  their  conduct  and  became  good  citi- 
zens. Many  thousands  fled  from  the  State  to  find  homes  in  other 
parts  of  the  world.  The  exodus  began  in  1774  and  continued  through- 
out the  war.  Some  went  to  Canada,  others  to  New  Brunswick,  to 
Nova  Scotia,  to  the  West  Indies,  and  to  England.  Possibly  all  told 
35,000  Loyalists  left  New  York  State  during  and  after  the  Revolution. 
From  1776  to  the  close  of  the  Revolution  New  York  City  was  the 
Mecca  for  the  Loyalists  of  America. 

To  the  very  last  the  Loyalists  confidently  thought  that  the  Revolu- 
tion would  be  crushed  and  that  they  would  then  triumph  over  their 
rebel  persecutors.  With  that  hope  in  their  hearts  they  sacrificed 
their  property,  their  comfort  and  their  reputations  on  the  altar  of 
imperial  patriotism.  They  refused  at  first  to  believe  that  the  power- 
ful British  Empire  could  lose  in  a  conflict  with  a  fraction  of  the 
empire  in  North  America. 

The  terms  of  peace  were  treacherous  and  suicidal  in  their  eyes. 
Benjamin  Thompson  wrote  to  Lord  Sackville,  August  6,  1782:  "You 
cannot  conceive  nor  can  language  describe  the  distress  that  all  ranks 
of  people  here  [in  New  York]  have  been  thrown  into  by  the  intelli- 
gence of  the  independence  of  America  being  acknowledged  by  Great 
Britain,  and  the  Loyalists  being  given  up  to  the  mercy  of  their 
enemies."  The  militia  threw  down  their  arms.  Loyalists,  who  de- 
clared that  they  had  been  sacrificed  by  the  British  to  obtain  peace, 
threatened  to  take  up  arms  against  the  treaty  of  peace.  As  a  matter 
of  fact  the  British  government  made  an  honest  effort  to  provide  for 
these  loyal  subjects  in  America,  who  lost  all  for  the  crown  and  em- 
pire. The  treaty  stipulated  that  Loyalist  creditors  should  "meet  with 
no  lawful  impediment"  in  collecting  debts;  that  Congress  would 
"earnestly  recommend"  to  the  states  the  restoration  of  rights  and  pos- 
sessions of  Loyalists,  who  had  not  borne  arms  against  their  country- 
men; that  all  other  Loyalists  might  within  12  months  go  into  any 
state  to  recover  confiscated  property  by  paying  the  sale  price;  and 
that  no  future  confiscation  should  be  made,  no  further  persecutions 
permitted,  and  imprisoned  Loyalists  be  liberated.  Congress  duly 
offered  the  official  advice  promised,  but  the  states  paid  no  attention 
to  it. 

When  confronted  with  the  reality  of  defeat,  and  all  it  entailed  for 
them,  the  Loyalists  turned  to  the  British  government  for  protection 
and  reparation.     From  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution  it  had  been 


THE  LOYALISTS  223 

the  British  policy  to  encourage  loyahy  by  fair  promises  and  to  use 
the  Loyalists  to  subdue  the  revolt.  Those  who  lost  property  or  income 
or  offices  through  loyalism  were  promised  indemnity.  Those  who 
engaged  in  active  military  service  were  promised  rewards.  While 
the  war  lasted  the  Loyalists  were  protected,  fed,  clothed,  granted  tem- 
porary annuities  in  a  few  instances,  and  given  offices  in  some  cases. 
The  fugitive  Loyalists  in  New  York  City  were  allowed  to  use  the  de- 
serted houses  and  lands  of  the  patriots.  The  refusal  of  the  State  to 
restore  their  property  forced  Loyalist  owners  to  appeal  to  the  British 
government  for  restitution  for  their  losses.  They  organized  a  com- 
mittee to  protect  their  claims  and  James  De  Lancey  acted  on  it  for 
New  York. 

The  king  urged  parliament  to  treat  the  Loyalists  with  "a  due  and 
generous  attention."  Some  millions  of  dollars  were  spent  to  locate 
them  on  farms  given  them  in  New  Brunswick,  Nova  Scotia  and  upper 
and  lower  Canada,  where  they  were  also  supplied  with  food,  clothing, 
building  materials,  tools,  guns,  mills,  live  stock  and  seeds.  In  1782 
twenty-six  New  York  Loyalists  were  receiving  $18,000  in  annuities 
ranging  from  £50  to  £500,  and  $90,000  had  been  paid  Loyalists  in 
general  for  special  losses  or  services.  In  1783  parliament  appointed 
five  commissioners  to  classify  the  thousands  of  petitions  for  compen- 
sation, and  to  make  a  careful  examination  in  England  and  America 
mto  their  actual  merits.  The  total  amount  of  losses  claimed  was  over 
$47,000,000,  and  of  this  sum  New  York  Loyalists'  claims  represented 
approximately  $10,000,000  in  amounts  that  ranged  from  $60  to 
$777,000.  The  allowances  on  these  New  York  claims  varied  from 
$50  to  $221,000,  and  the  total  amount  paid  to  New  York  Loyalists  in 
money,  pensions,  land  and  equipment  was  about  $10,000,000. 

In  New  York  the  Loyalists  like  the  patriots  were  made  up  of  repre- 
sentatives of  all  social,  professional,  and  business  classes:  (1)  royal 
officials  from  the  governor  to  petty  county  squire;  (2)  large  landlords 
and  their  devoted  tenants;  (3)  professional  men  such  as  lawyers,  phy- 
sicians, teachers  and  ministers;  (4)  the  wealthy  businessmen;  (5) 
farmers;  and  (6)   the  common  people  in  villages  and  cities. 

After  their  dearly  bought  victory,  the  patriots,  who  had  suffered 
greatly  from  the  intelligence,  materials,  money  and  soldiers  supplied 
to  the  British  by  the  Loyalists  and  from  the  marauding  excursions 
of  the  Loyalists  and  Indians  on  the  frontiers,  wished  to  expel  them 
from  the  State.  Loyalism  was  of  so  many  shades,  however,  and  the 
ties  of  blood  were  so  numerous,  that  the  great  majority  of  Loyalists 
remained  to  make  the  best  of  the  new  situation.     In  1784  a  law  dis- 


224  THE   AMERICAN   REVOLUTION   IN   NEW   YORK 

franchised  all  voters  proved  guilty  of  bearing  arms  against  the  patriot 
cause.  This  act  affected  two-thirds  of  the  voters  in  New  York,  Rich- 
mond and  Kings  counties;  one- fifth  of  those  in  Suffolk  county;  nine- 
tenths  of  those  in  Queens  county;  all  of  those  in  the  borough  of  West- 
chester. The  state  taxes  were  adjusted  to  throw  the  heaviest  burden 
on  the  Loyalists.  -Debts  due  Loyalists  were  easily  canceled.  Loyalist 
lawyers  were  refused  the  right  to  practise  their  profession  without 
taking  an  oath  of  abjuration  in  1784,  and  physicians  were  boycotted. 
The  Marquis  de  Chastellux  traveling  through  New  York  said  that 
Governor  Clinton  "was  inexorable  to  the  Tories,  whom  he  makes 
tremble,  though  they  are  extremely  numerous  in  the  State." 

One  is  tempted  to  ask:  If  the  Loyalists  were  as  numerous  as  the 
sources  indicate,  and  if  they  included  so  many  persons  of  wealth, 
culture,  political  and  religious  leadership,  and  high  social  standing, 
why  was  it  that  they  exercised  so  little  influence  on  the  course  of 
the  Revolution?  Why  did  they  seem  so  singularly  incapable  of  direct- 
ing events  toward  a  different  result?  The  answer  is  not  simple, 
nor  is  an  explanation  easy.  It  may  be  said,  in  the  first  place,  that 
they  lacked  efficient  party  organization.  One  does  not  read  of  aggres- 
sive Loyalist  committees  and  congresses  to  attain  their  objects.  In 
fact  they  repudiated  such  political  devices,  while  the  Whigs  employed 
them  most  effectively,  although  in  1774  and  1775  moderate  Loyalists 
did  serve  in  some  of  these  bodies.  This  reticence  and  inactivity  not 
only  deprived  them  of  leadership,  but  permitted  their  opponents  to 
assume  direction  of  the  agitation  for  a  redress  of  grievances.  In 
the  second  place,  tkey  were  conservatives,  who  moved  slowly  and 
cautiously,  and  consequently  were  soon  surpassed  by  the  superior 
energy  and  zeal  of  the  Whigs.  They  were  timid  and  suspicious 
of  innovations  demanded  by  a  crisis.  In  the  third  place,  they  were 
disinclined  to  engage  in  civil  war,  because  of  its  danger  to  property 
and  established  institutions.  When  war  came,  tens  of  thousands  of 
them  volunteered  for  military  service  but  the  vast  majority  placed 
an  implicit  trust  in  the  British  armies  and  in  the  invincibility  of  the 
British  government.  Too  many  of  them  felt  that  it  was  Great  Britain's 
war  and  not  theirs.  On  the  contrary,  the  Whigs  had  no  such  delusion. 
In  the  fourth  place,  they  permitted  themselves  to  be  intimidated  and 
terrorized  by  the  inquisitorial  methods  and  penalties  of  the  Whigs. 
Their  retaliation  was  comparatively  mild  and  ineffectual  because  of 
their  lack  of  good  leadership  and  organization.  They  seemed  dazed 
by  the  unexpected  development  of  the  conflict  and  in  too  many  in- 
stances   permitted    fear   to    determine    their    actions.      This    was    not 


THE  LOYALISTS  225 

cowardice  so  much  as  incompetence  and  lack  of  initiative.  The 
triumph  of  the  patriots  accentuated  their  hesitancy  and  developed 
among  them  a  policy  of  "watchful  waiting."  In  the  fifth  place,  they 
were  handicapped  by  the  fact  that  prior  to  July  4,  1776,  most  of  them 
honestly  believed  that  there  was  more  justice  in  the  American  than 
in  the  British  program.  After  that  date  it  was  too  late  to  recover 
the  ground  that  had  been  lost.  And  in  the  sixth  place,  British  states- 
men underestimated  their  usefulness  and  consequently  failed  to  utilize 
them  effectively  in  either  a  military  or  civil  capacity.  Furthermore, 
the  hesitant  and  vacillating  actions  of  the  British  generals  were  not 
such  as  to  arouse  the  enthusiastic  cooperation  of  the  Loyalists,  and 
too  often  the  arrogance  and  brutality  of  the  British  soldiers  alienated 
them. 

The  treatment  of  the  Loyalists  by  the  revolutionists  was  on  the  whole 
moderate  and  fair,  all  things  taken  into  consideration.  The  period 
was  one  in  which  the  bitterest  and  harshest  human  emotions  were 
aroused.  It  is  humanly  difficult  to  look  at  things  calmly  and  to 
gauge  motives  justly  and  charitably  in  time  of  war — particularly  if 
it  is  a  civil  war  between  groups  within  a  state.  The  Whigs  were 
treated  quite  as  severely  by  the  Loyalists  in  regions  where  the  Loyalists, 
under  British  protection,  were  in  the  ascendancy.  Nevertheless  no 
such  slaughter  and  terrorism  prevailed  as  in  the  French  revolution 
and  in  the  Russian  revolution.  One  is  surprised  to  see  what  pains 
were  taken  by  the  Whigs  to  have  the  incarceration  and  penalization 
of  Loyalists  made  only  in  accord  with  law.  Of  course  the  Whigs,  in 
control  of  the  newly  created  political  machinery,  could  enact  such 
laws  as  they  pleased.  The  various  acts  attainting  certain  conspicuous 
Loyalists  and  sentencing  them  to  death  as  traitors  were  probably 
intended  to  supply  a  reason  for  confiscating  their  property  rather 
than  to  wreak  vengence  on  them  in  death.  Considering  all  the  factors 
involved  things  might  have  been  very  much  worse. 

The  Loyalists  lacked  that  superb  faith  in  popular  government  and 
that  determined  optimism  which  gave  birth  to  a  new  nation.  They 
stood  in  the  path  of  progress  and  suffered  the  consequences.  They 
made  the  military  conflict  much  more  difficult  for  the  patriots,  because 
it  became  a  fratricidal  struggle  within  the  colonies  as  well  as  a  civil 
war  within  the  British  Empire.  Confronting  such  odds  all  the  more 
credit  is  due  the  patriot  fathers  for  their  triumph. 


X 

RESULTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION  IN  NEW  T  ORK 
Political 

For  8  years,  in  common  with  the  other  colonies,  New  York  endured 
the  trying  ordeal  of  a  civil  war  called  the  Revolution.  No  otiier  State 
was  continuously  occupied  by  the  enemy  and  either  engaged  in  or 
threatened  with  actual  warfare.  As  a  result  of  this  experience,  how 
did  New  York  differ  in  1783  from  what  she  had  been  in  1775?  Just 
what  changes  occurred  in  the  ideas,  customs  and  institutions  of  the 
people  during  that  period  to  warrant  its  designation  as  a  "revolution"? 
It  is  the  purpose  of  this  final  chapter  to  answer  these  questions. 

In  considering  the  results  of  the  Revolution  in  New  York,  one  may 
easily  assume  that  a  greater  transformation  occurred  than  actually  did 
take  place.  In  fact  the  civilization  of  New  York  in  1783  was  predom- 
inantly that  of  the  prerevolutionary  period.  Language,  names,  relig- 
ions, customs,  laws,  institutions  and  political  ofiices  of  the  colonial 
period  survived  the  Revolution  and  characterized  the  new  regime.  The 
important  differences  were  found  in  a  new  source  of  political  authority, 
a  new  type  of  control,  an  altered  outlook,  a  changed  spirit  and  modified 
political  machinery.  Perhaps  the  greatest  result  was  that  the  masses 
of  people  believed  that  somehow  a  mighty  transformation  had  taken 
place  and  henceforth  they  acted  under  this  conviction. 
'  It  should  be  remembered  that  the  colonists  did  not  regard  them- 
selves as  revolutionists.  They  never  applied  that  term  to  themselves, 
nor  did  they  speak  of  the  war  at  the  time  as  a  revolution.  From  first 
to  last  they  took  special  pains  to  demonstrate  that  their  actions  were 
indisputably  legal  and  constitutional.  They  professed  to  stand  on  "the 
immutable  laws  of  nature,"  on  "the  principles  of  the  English  constitu- 
tion" and  on  their  own  charter  rights.  The  radical  innovations,  they 
asserted,  came  not  from  America  but  from  George  III  and  his  imperial 
parliament.  "The  intruding  imperialism  of  Great  Britain"  provoked 
armed  resistance.  The  Americans  had  far  more  liberty  than  English- 
men at  home,  and  hence  they  were  determined  not  to  have  it  lessened 
by  the  "impulse  to  empire"  overseas. 

Politically  New  York  entered  the  Revolution  as  a  colonial  dependency 
and  emcBged  as  an  independent  sovereign  state.  From  being  a  part  of 
the  British  Empire  it  was  transformed  first  into  a  free,  self-governing 
commonwealth  and  then  became  a  member  of  a  new  confederation. 
Supreme  control  was  transferred  from  a  king  and  parliament  overseas 

[227] 


228  THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

to  the  colonials  themselves.  Accomplished  through  force,  this  was  per- 
haps the  most  significant  aspect  of  the  Revolution.  Indeed  this  shifting 
of  sovereign  power  was  the  Revolution. 

After  the  State  of  New  York  declared  its  independence,  it  proceeded 
to  draw  up  a  new  constitution  to  regulate  its  life.  The  Constitution  of 
1777  was  not  so  much  of  a  novelty  as  one  might  think.  The  colonists 
had  felt  that  they  lived  under  two  constitutions — ^  one  colonial,  the 
other  imperial.  The  imperial  constitution  was  repudiated  by  the 
Revolution  and  the  colonial  constitution  was  revised  to  meet  the 
modified  situation.  An  intense  interest  in  the  legal  relations  of  the 
empire  was  aroused  by  the  legal  disputes  from  1763  to  1774.  "I  hear," 
said  Burke,  "that  they  have  sold  as  many  Blackstone's  Commentaries  in 
America  as  in  England." 


-A 


.x--" 


Samuel    Kirkland 


Perhaps  the  best  description  of  the  government  of  New  York  under 
the  colonial  constitution  was  given  in  1774  by  Governor  Tryon,  which 
may  now  be  found  in  the  New  York  Colonial  Documents,  volume  VIII, 
page  443.  By  comparing  that  description  with  the  State  Constitution 
of  1777,  the  following  governmental  modifications  are  apparent: 

1  All  royal  authority  was  repudiated,  and  the  royal  Governor  was 
overthrown.  In  his  place  was  set  up  a  governor  chosen  by  the  people 
as  their  direct  representative  but  clothed  with  fewer  powers,  limited  in 
his  term  of  office,  and  paid  a  much  smaller  salary.  The  military  powers 
of  the  Governor  were  the  same. 

2  The  Governor's  colonial  Council  of  twelve  members,  appointed  by 
the  crown,  acted  in  an  executive  capacity  in  granting  patents  and  mak- 


RESULTS   OF  THE   REVOLUTION  229 

ing  civil  appointments;  in  a  legislative  capacity  as  a  local  house  of 
lords  or  upper  house;  and  in  a  judicial  capacity  with  the  Governor  as 
a  court  for  the  correction  of  errors  and  of  appeals.  This  body  was 
abolished  and  its  powers  were  distributed.  In  a  sense  it  was  displaced 
by  the  Senate,  which  was  elected  by  the  people  of  the  four  great  dis- 
tricts of  the  State  and  became  an  important  branch  of  the  Legislature. 

3  The  Assembly  of  the  colony  was  retained  by  the  State  with  some 
changes.  The  number  of  members  was  increased  from  thirty-one  in 
1774  to  seventy  in  1777;  the  term  of  service  was  reduced  from  7  years 
to  1  year;  and  assemblymen  were  paid  by  the  State  instead  of  the 
counties  as  before.  The  Constitution  of  1777  increased  the  power  of 
the  Assembly  at  the  expense  of  the  Governor  by  controlling  indirectly 
the  appointments  to  state  and  county  offices.  The  veto  power  was  taken 
away  from  the  king  and  the  Governor  and  shared  with  the  judiciary. 
The  new  Assembly  jealously  guarded  its  control  over  money  bills  and 
resented  an  effort  by  the  Senate  to  a  share  in  this  authority.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  the  state  fathers  deliberately  increased  the  prestige 
of  the  Assembly  because  of  the  earlier  hostility  toward  the  king's  rep- 
resentative. With  the  exceptions  noted,  the  colonial  Assembly  persisted 
in  the  State  Assembly. 

4  The  colonial  judicial  system  from  the  Chancellor  to  the  local  justice 
of  peace  passed  into  the  State  Government  with  scarcely  any  important 
alterations  because  the  judiciary  had  been  regarded  as  a  bulwark  of 
colonial  liberty.  The  State  Constitution  of  1777  took  the  supreme  ju- 
dicial function  away  from  the  Governor  and  vested  it  in  the  Lieutenant 
Governor  and  the  Senate,  the  Chancellor,  and  the  justices  of  the 
Supreme  Court.  The  power  of  impeaching  all  officers  of  the  State 
for  corrupt  conduct  passed  over  to  the  Assembly.  The  Supreme 
Court,  the  coilnty  courts  and  the  courts  of  the  justices  of  peace  were 
continued  from  colonial  days.  In  1778  the  Legislature  divested  the 
Governor  of  his  power  over  wills,  intestate  estates  and  marriage 
licenses  and  gave  it  to  the  court  of  probates. 

5.  Except  for  the  emergencies  of  the  Revolutionary  War  no  new  state 
officers  were  created.  The  secretary  of  state,  auditor  general,  treasurer, 
attorney  general,  and  surveyor  general  of  the  colony  were  carried  over 
into  the  State  Government,  with  only  minor  variations  in  their  duties. 

6  Fewer  modilications.  were  made  in  local  than  in  State  Government. 
The  fourteen  counties  remained  the  same  when  the  Constitution  of 
1777  was  adopted  ^  and  the  political  subdivisions  of  the  counties  con- 
tinued except  in  a  few  instances  where  larger  units  were  divided.     In 


•^  Cumberland,   Gloucester   and   part  of  Charlotte   counties   formed   part  of  the 
State  of  Vermont  recognized  by  New  York  in  1790. 


230  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

the  colonial  period  the  local  officials  were  partly  elected  by  the  people 
and  partly  appointed  by  the  Governor  and  Council.  With  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  State  about  the  only  change  was  the  transfer  of  the  ap- 
pointive offices  from  the  Governor  to  the  Council  of  Appointment.  Ap- 
parently no  new  local  offices  were  created  until  some  years  after  the 
Revolution  ended.  The  charters  of  the  cities  of  Albany  and  New  York 
granted  by  the  royal  governor  in  the  king's  name  were  sanctioned  by  the 
Legislature,  and  the  mayor,  aldermen,  recorder,  clerk  and  numerous 
judicial  and  administrative  officers  were  continued  without  change  ex- 
cept that  those  previously  selected  by  the  Governor  were  now  named 
by  the  Council  of  Appointment. 

7  The  common  law  of  England  and  the  colonial  laws  were  accepted 
as  the  laws  of  the  State  with  little  modification.  The  only  notable 
change  was  in  the  law  governing  property.  Entails  and  primogeniture 
were  abolished  on  July  12,  1782,  by  the  Legislature  and  thus  property 
inheritance  became  more  democratic.  With  the  destruction  of  the  en- 
tails went  manorial  privileges.  Tenants  who  held  property  in  "fee-tail" 
now  held  it  in  fee-simple.  Intestate  property  was  to  be  divided  equit- 
ably among  all  the  heirs.  When  one  recalls  how  many  of  the  estates 
up  the  Hudson  and  Mohawk  valleys  were  great  manors,  it  will  be 
realized  that  this  abolition  of  the  remnants  of  feudalism  in  New  York 
was  one  of  the  most  important  products  of  the  Revolution. 

8  The  State  of  New  York  separated  from  the  British  Empire,  but 
proceeded  at  once  to  become  a  member  of  another  political  society. 
The  Continental  Congress  having  created  the  United  Stales  of  America 
under  the  Articles  of  Confederation,  New  York  on  October  23,  1779, 
ratified  the  articles  and  thus  officially  became  a  unit  in  the  new  na- 
tional state.  To  the  Legislature  of  New  York  belongs  the  distinction 
of  being  the  first  state  to  offer  to  cede  its  land  claims  to  the  Con- 
federation, as  a  whole,  in  order  to  placate  the  discontented  states.  This 
membership  in  the  Confederation  entailed  certain  obligations  to  carry 
the  war  to  a  successful  issue  and  to  cooperate  in  the  period  of  recon- 
struction following  the  treaty  of  peace.  The  logical  outcome  of  the 
various  tendencies  toward  national  unity,  which  had  been  in  evidence 
for  some  decades,  coupled  with  the  inadequate  character  of  the  Con- 
federation, was  the  creation  of  the  Federal  Republic  in  1789.  In  that 
forward  step  New  York  was  represented  by  John  Lansing  jr,  Robert 
Yates  and  Alexander  Hamilton.  Lansing  and  Yates  withdrew  in  pro- 
test before  the  Constitution  was  framed,  leaving  Hamilton  to  represent 
New  York  alone. 

The  ratification  of  the  Constitution  of  1787  w.^s  opposed  in  New 
York  by  a  powerful  party  led  by  Governor  Clinton,  Robert  and  Chris- 


RESULTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION  231 

topher  p.  Yates,  Jolm  Lansing  jr,  Samuel  Jones  and  Melancton 
Smith,  while  Alexander  Hamilton,  John  Jay,  Lewis  Morris,  John  S. 
Hobart,  Robert  R.  Livingston  and  James  Duane  as  champions  of  the 
new  document  in  a  stormy  session  of  the  state  Convention  at  Pough- 
keepsie  carried  the  day  by  a  vote  of  30  to  27,  after  the  required  nine 
states  had  already  ratified  the  Constitution.  New  York  City  was  chosen 
as  the  first  capital  of  tlie  new  Republic.  George  Washington  on  April 
30,  1789,  was  inaugurated  President  at  Federal  Hall.  Chancellor 
Robert  R.  Livingston  tendered  the  oath  of  office.  John  Jay  became  the 
first  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States;  Alexander  Hamilton  was  the 
first  Secretary  of  the  Treasury;  and  Samuel  Osgood  was  the  first  Post- 
master General. 

9  The  right  to  vote  under  the  charter  of  liberties  of  1691  was  ex- 
tended to  every  freeholder  who  had  "40  shillings  per  annum  in  free- 
hold" and  "every  free  man  in  any  corporation."  This  liberal  franchise 
was  soon  changed  by  increasing  the  40  shillings  to  £40.  Catholics, 
Quakers  and  Moravians  were  disfranchised.  Elections  were  held  at 
one  place  in  each  county,  and  voting,  which  was  oral,  was  restricted  to 
minor  local  officers  and  assemblymen.  Thes3  conditions  continued 
down  to  the  Revolution.  Beginning  with  1774  the  local  committees 
and  congresses  were  chosen  apparently  by  a  wider  franchise,  which 
was  in  itself  a  revolutionary  step.  For  example,  the  Schenectady  local 
committee  on  April  27,  1776,  asked  "all  male  inhabitants"  of  full  age, 
who  had  resided  in  the  district  for  3  months  to  elect  a  new  committee. 
This  democratic  practice  seemed  to  prevail  from  1774  until  the  Consti- 
tution of  1777  was  put  into  operation.  That  instrument  created  three 
classes  of  voters:  (1)  freeholders,  being  actual  residents,  who  owned 
freeholds  worth  £100  above  all  debts,  who  could  vote  for  Governor, 
Lieutenant  Governor,  Senators  and  Assemblymen;  (2)  those  males  who 
resided  in  the  State  6  months,  and  possessed  freeholds  of  the  value  of 
£20  or  paid  a  yearly  rent  of  40  shillings;  and  (3)  the  freemen  of 
Albany  and  New  York  City.  The  last  two  groups  could  vote  for 
Assemblymen,  but  not  for  the  other  elective  state  officers. 

The  common  council  of  Albany  in  1773  decided  that  every  person 
21  years  of  age  born  in  the  British  Empire  could  vote  in  the  ward 
where  he  had  resided  for  6  weeks.  Bond  servants  were  denied  this 
right  during  the  period  of  service.  The  Dongan  Charter  gave  the 
mayor,  recorder  and  aldermen  the  privilege  of  making  freemen  under 
their  common  seal  on  the  payment  of  a  fee  of  £5.  These  freemen  were 
mostly  the  business  and  professional  men,  and  could  vote  for  Assembly- 
men as  well  as  city  aldermen.  The  old  charter  of  Albany  was  con- 
tinued in  1778  by  authority  of  the  State. 


232  THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION   IN   NEW   YORK 

In  New  York  City  it  is  said  that  the  voters  were  fewer  proportionately 
than  in  the  rural  districts.  The  restriction  of  sufifrage  to  freeholders 
and  freemen  excluded  the  relatively  large  number  of  lodgers,  tenants, 
and  rent  payers.  The  freemen  were  not  so  numerous  as  freeholders. 
For  instance  in  1790  out  of  30,000  people  there  were  1209  freeholders 
of  the  £100  class  and  1221  of  the  £20  or  40  shillings  rent  class.  In 
1784  on  the  payment  of  £5  the  list  of  freemen  was  widened  to  include, 
in  addition  to  businessmen,  many  of  the  skilled  workers. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  the  property  requirements  for  voters 
for  Assemblymen  were  more  liberal  than  might  appear  at  first  thought. 
Any  man  who  owned  real  property  valued  at  $50  or  paid  annual  rent 
of  $5  could  vote.  This  provision  was  so  liberal  that  it  excluded  only 
paupers  and  lodgers  or  sons  living  with  their  parents.  There  seems 
to  be  some  ground  for  the  belief  that  for  purely  local  elections  the  gen- 
eral male  suffrage  exercised  by  the  people  in  the  opening  years  of  the 
Revolution  was  still  exercised  after  1777  in  the  election  of  town  clerks, 
supervisors,  constables,  collectors  and  other  minor  officials.  There 
are  numerous  instances  where  the  "freeholders  and  inhabitants"  or 
"all  male  inhabitants"  of  full  age  are  requested  to  choose  local  officers. 
The  law  of  March  12,  1778,  increasing  the  number  of  assessors  pro- 
vided that  the  "inhabitants"  should  meet  in  the  usual  places  and  by  a 
plurality  vote  decide  who  was  elected.  Future  elections  were  to  be 
held  not  at  one  place  in  the  county,  as  in  colonial  days,  but  in  the 
local  political  subdivisions.  Great  care  was  taken  by  law  to  have  an 
honest  ballot  and  an  accurate  count.  The  creation  of  the  Federal 
Republic  in  1789  left  the  right  to  regulate  the  qualifications  for  voting 
to  each  state. 

10  The  Revolution  gave  the  patriots  as  a  whole  a  new  realization 
of  their  own  rights.  Participation  in  elections,  service  on  committees, 
fighting  in  the  army,  and  sacrificing  to  win  the  war  developed  a  new 
political  manhood  and  a  better  citizen  than  the  colonial  type.  Many 
inexperienced  and  unknown  men  were  called  forth  as  political  and 
military  leaders  to  guide  the  young  State.  The  general  result  was  an 
equalizing  and  democratizing  movement.  After  "the  people"  assumed 
the  sovereignty  of  the  British  parliament,  the  royal  lands  and  quit- 
rents,  and  full  political  power  to  govern  themselves,  the  masses  of  the 
people  who  could  vote  only  for  Assemblymen  and  local  officers,  or 
were  disfranchised  altogether,  clamored  for  the  full  right  to  vote  and 
eventually  got  it.  It  was  not  until  1821  that  general  male  franchise 
was  established  in  New  York. 

11  The  Indian  Six  Nations  on  the  western  frontier  of  New  York 
were  early  recognized  by  British  and  Americans  alike  as  likely  to  be 


RESULTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION  233 

an  important  military  factor  in  the  Revolution.  With  their  tributary 
tribes  they  controlled  a  territory  1200  miles  long  and  600  miles  wide, 
which  was  15  times  as  large  as  the  whole  State  of  New  York,  At  the 
outbreak  of  war  the  British  sought  to  retain  the  allegiance  of  the 
red  men,  and  the  Americans  did  their  utmost  to  win  the  Indians  to 
their  side  or  at  least  to  induce  them  to  remain  neutral.  In  1775  the 
council  of  the  league  declared  for  neutrality  but  allowed  each  of  the 
Six  Nations  to  choose  for  itself.  The  frantic  negotiations  of  the  Brit- 
ish and  Americans  form  an  interesting  chapter  in  the  Revolution. 

Because  of  the  unparalleled  influence  which  Sir  William  Johnson 
(d.  1774)  had  exercised  as  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs,  his  suc- 
cessor in  that  office,  Guy  Johnson,  succeeded  in  keeping  the  Mohawks, 
Cayugas,  Senecas,  Onondagas  and  most  of  the  Tuscaroras  staunch 
allies  of  the  British.  The  Mohawks  followed  their  great  chief,  Brant, 
to  Canada  early  in  the  struggle.  How  these  tribes  terrorized  the  west- 
ern and  northern  borders  of  New  York  during  the  war  has  been 
described.  Through  the  influence  of  the  missionary.  Rev.  Samuel  Kirk- 
land,  the  Oneidas  and  a  portion  of  the  Tuscaroras  sided  with  the 
Americans. 

For  years  this  powerful  Indian  confederacy  had  hung  like  a  menac- 
ing cloud  on  the  western  frontier  of  New  York.  The  triumph  of  the 
Revolution  broke  its  power  and  forced  the  hostile  tribes  to  emigrate  to 
Canada.  Most  of  the  Indian  lands  were  obtained  by  the  State  of  New 
York,  and  the  fertile  region  west  of  the  present  city  of  Utica  was 
opened  up  to  the  flood  of  white  settlers  who  poured  into  that  region 
after  the  treaty  of  peace  was  signed.  The  expulsion  of  the  red  man  and 
the  rapid  settlement  of  western  New  York  by  Americans  are  conse- 
quences of  the  Revolution  of  the  greatest  significance  and  yet  scarcely 
mentioned  by  historians.  Never  again  were  the  Iroquois  a  menace  to 
New  York. 

Social 

The  social  results  of  the  Revolution  were  more  significant  than  has 
been  commonly  supposed.  Colonial  society  in  New  York  presented 
three  distinct  strata:  (1)  the  royal  officials  and  rich  landlords,  who, 
though  few,  were  influential  and  able  to  dominate  colonial  life;  (2) 
the  middle  class,  composed  of  professional  men  and  the  businessmen, 
who  were  more  numerous  and  potentially  the  future  rulers  of  the  pro- 
vince; and  (3)  the  skilled  mechanics,  the  common  workers  and  the 
small  farmers  and  tenants,  who  constituted  the  largest  portion  of  the 
population.  The  Revolution  altered  this  social  scheme  considerably. 
The  royal  officials  disappeared  entirely.  The  wealthy  landlords  in 
many  instances  were  Loyalists,  who  either  left  or  were  exiled  from  the 


Aaron  Burr 
From  Painting   by  John  Vanderlyn 

(Courtesy  New  York  Historical  Society) 


RESULTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION  235 

State.  Their  property  was  confiscated,  cut  up  into  small  farms  and 
sold.  Thus  the  aristocracy  of  tlie  State  was  greatly  reduced  but  not 
eliminated,  for  many  of  its  members  were  wise  enough  to  espouse  the 
patriot  cause.  It  was  that  portion  of  the  middle  class  and  common 
people,  which  did  not  follow  the  royal  ofl&cials  and  landlords  in  their 
devotion  to  the  unity  of  the  empire,  that  led  the  revolutionary  move- 
ment, assumed  the  revolutionary  government,  armed  the  revolutionary 
army,  and  supplied  the  means  to  win  the  war.  John  Lamb  and  Alex- 
ander MacDougall  were  popular  leaders  who  sprang  from  the  people. 
The  aristocratic  leaders  like  Jay,  Gouverneur  Morris,  Hamilton  and 
Robert  R.  Livingston  were  all  men  under  30  years  of  age  when  the 
Revolution  began  and  thus  had  their  careers  to  make.  The  social 
transformations  w»hich  occurred  in  New  York  as  a  result  of  the  Revo- 
lution were  quite  as  pronounced  as  the  political  changes. 

The  manners  and  customs  of  the  people  persisted  very  much  as 
in  colonial  days,  but  with  less  pomp  and  ceremony,  less  formality, 
greater  simplicity  and  more  seriousness.  The  manners  and  mode  of 
living  of  Governor  Clinton  were  in  sharp  contrast  to  the  court  of  the 
royal  governors.  The  poverty  entailed  by  the  war  and  the  difficulty 
of  reaching  European  markets  soon  eliminated  the  stylish  garments, 
hats  and  boots  imported  from  London  and  Paris,  and  replaced  them 
with  homespun  and  homemade  articles  of  wearing  apparel. 

The  occupations  of  the  people  were  not  greatly  changed  by  the  8. 
years  of  war.  In  colonial  days  New  York  was  predominantly  an 
agricultural  community.  Of  course  in  New  York  City  with  its  fine 
harbor  considerable  attention  was  devoted  to  commerce  and  trade, 
but  the  great  majority  of  the  people  were  identified  with  agriculture 
and  the  bulk  of  the  wealth  of  the  colony  was  in  land.  The  competition 
between  the  farm,  and  the  ship  and  shop,  made  labor  scarce  but  did 
not  raise  wages.  Money  is  always  less  plentiful  in  a  frontier  com- 
munity, while  land,  rent,  food,  and  clothing  are  cheap.  After  the 
Revolution  land  was  more  widely  distributed  than  ever  among  the 
people  (1)  by  the  sale  of  the  forfeited  Loyalist  estates;  (2)  by  the 
grant  of  public  land  as  bounty  to  the  soldiers;  and  (3)  by  the  opening 
up  of  the  West  for  settlement. 

Under  the  colonial  government  the  poor  were  cared  for  by  the  col- 
lection of  annual  poor  rates  in  the  counties.  With  the  outbreak  of 
the  war  this  problem  became  more  serious.  The  revolutionary  legis- 
lature continued  the  colonial  system  but  on  November  12,  1776,  went 
a  step  further  in  creating  a  state  committee  of  three  persons  to  have 
a  general  supervision  of  the  poor  from  the  counties  held  by  the  Brit- 
ish, the  employment  of  the  destitute,  and  the  placing  of  poor  children 


236  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

as  apprentices.  The  dependents  of  Loyalists  as  well  as  those  of  patri- 
ots were  to  be  cared  for.  The  next  year,  special  commissioners  were 
named  to  provide  for  the  poor  in  Westchester,  Dutchess  and  Orange 
counties.  A  committee  was  also  appointed  to  devise  means  for  assist- 
ing the  poor  people  driven  out  of  their  homes  by  the  enemy  on  the 
northern  and  western  frontiers.  This  humanitarian  service  in  the 
midst  of  war  was  a  great  credit  to  the  statesmen  of  New  York. 

In  1780  the  Legislature  ordered  the  overseers  of  the  poor  in  Ulster, 
Orange,  Westchester,  Tryon  and  Charlotte  counties  to  report  the  num- 
ber of  the  poor  to  their  supervisors,  who  would  then  proceed  to  assess 
the  localities  so  that  the  tax  collectors  could  gather  in  the  money 
to  provide  for  the  indigent.  At  the  close  of  the  war  in  1784  super- 
visors were  authorized  to  levy  and  collect  taxes  to  be  spent  by  the 
overseers  of  the  poor  to  care  for  those  in  want.  The  earlier  acts  which 
established  the  Anglican  church  in  New  York  City  and  in  Richmond, 
Westchester  and  Queens  counties  were  all  repealed  in  1784  and  with 
the  repeal  was  withdrawn  the  right  to  collect  tithes  to  care  for  the 
poor.  A  special  act  in  1783  provided  for  the  raising  of  delinquent 
taxes  for  the  poor  on  Cortlandt  manor. 

On  July  9,  1776,  after  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  adopted, 
the  Convention  ordered  that  all  prisoners  for  debt  be  kept  in  jail 
until  legally  released.  Imprisonment  for  debt  was  common  in  colonial 
times.  At  the  close  of  the  war  the  Legislature  in  1783  passed  a  bill 
to  free  "insolvent  debtors"  from  prison  but  it  was  vetoed  by  the  Council 
of  Revision  and  did  not  become  law  until  1831.  By  the  act  of .  April 
17,  1784,  the  imprisoned  debtor  was  permitted  to  petition  the  court 
explaining  the  cause  of  imprisonment  and  asking  for  freedom.  If  the 
creditors  were  willing,  he  might  be  discharged.  Societies  for  the 
relief  of  distressed  debtors  were  formed  to  urge  the  modification  of  the 
harsh  law.  Apprentices  and  indentured  servants,  hoping  to  gain  their 
liberty,  frequently  ran  away  and  enlisted  in  the  army.  Many  from 
New  York  City  escaped  to  Connecticut  for  this  purpose  but  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress  ordered  them  returned  to  their  masters  and  decreed 
that  they  should  not  be  recruited  without  the  master's  consent.  No 
doubt  many  a  man  gained  his  freedom  in  this  way  and  with  it  a 
greater  opportunity  to  better  his  lot  in  the  State.  The  drastic  code  of 
criminal  law  which  was  copied  from  England  in  the  colonies  persisted 
with  little  change  through  the  Re.volution.  That  it  was  not  attacked 
by  popular  outcries  was  due  to  the  leniency  with  which  it  was  ad- 
ministered. In  1795  Governor  Clinton  said  "it  is  indeed  a  subject  of 
melancholy  consideration,  that  our  criminal  law  should  be  so  repug- 
nant to  the  mild  genius  of  our  Constitution,  and  so  similar  in  its 
punishments  to  the  cruelty  of  despotic  governments." 


RESULTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION  237 

John  Jay  and  other  leaders  felt  that,  consistent  with  the  ardent 
defense  of  the  rights  of  man.  the  State  should  abolish  slavery;  but  the 
Convention  in  Jay's  absence,  on  the  motion  of  Gouverneur  Morris, 
decided  by  a  vote  of  24  to  12  that  "it  would  be  highly  inexpedient" 
to  liberate  tlie  slaves  at  that  time.  A  society  for  the  gradual  emancipa- 
tion of  slaves  was  organized  in  New  York  City  in  1785  with  John 
Jay  as  the  first  president.  This  society  was  instrumental  in  having  a 
law  passed  in  that  year  prohibiting  the  sale  of  negro  slaves  imported 
into  the  State  and  making  it  easy  to  manumit  slaves  either  by  a 
registered  certificate  or  by  will.  In  1788  the  purchase  of  slaves  for 
removal  to  another  state  was  forbidden,  they  were  allowed  trial  by 
jury  ''in  all  capital  cases,"  and  the  earlier  laws  about  slaves  were 
simplified  and  restated.  The  emancipation  of  slaves  by  the  Quakers 
was  legalized  in  1798.  At  that  date  tJhere  were  still  about  33,000  slaves 
in  the  State.  On  March  29,  1799,  an  act  was  passed  for  the  gradual 
abolition  of  slavery  in  New  York.  Any  child  born  of  a  slave  after 
July  4th  was  to  be  free  at  the  age  of  25  years  if  a  girl  and  28  years  if 
a  boy. 

The  war  left  the  State  in  a  disorganized  condition.  On  January 
10,  1778,  Governor  Clinton  wrote  that  the  war  had  "exhausted"  and 
"plundered"  the  State,  thai  "numberless  families"  had  lost  their  farms 
and  homes  to  the  enemy  and  had  to  be  supported  by  the  rest  of  the 
people.  He  endeavored  to  lighten  their  burden  as  much  as  possible, 
because  he  felt  that  they  had  gone  so  far  beyond  the  demands  of  the 
Continental  Congress  in  furnishing  supplies  that  they  were  impover- 
ished and  in  want.  While  one  must  guard  against  drawing  too  dismal 
a  picture  of  the  poverty  and  suffering  entailed  by  the  Revolution,  yet 
both  existed  unmistakably,  as  the  sources  show.  "You  can  have  no 
idea,"  wrote  an  elderly  woman  in  1782,  "of  the  suffering  of  many 
who  from  aflfluence  are  reduced  to  the  most  abject  poverty,  and  others 
who  die  in  obscurity."  It  was  out  of  such  self-sacrifice  and  heroism  on 
the  part  of  the  civilians  that  there  developed  a  sturdy,  self-reliant, 
resourceful  people  who  saw  the  war  to  a  victorious  conclusion  and 
wisely  solved  the  weighty  problems  which  came  inevitably  with 
independence. 

New  York  City  in  1783  was  in  a  state  of  confusion  and  turmoil. 
The  population  consisted  mostly  of  the  British,  Loyalist  refugees  of 
other  states,  and  New  Yorkers  who  were  either  open  friends  of  the 
British  cause  or  by  silence  and  conformity  gave  that  impression.  When 
the  evacuation  was  at  last  completed,  the  population  was  reduced  to 
10,000  people,  and  most  of  them  were  under  suspicion.  Naturally 
the  social  readjustments  necessitated  by  the  evacuation  of  the  city  and 


238 


THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 


its  reoccupation  by  the  patriots  covered  a  wide  range.  Thousands  of 
persons  who  had  fled  at  the  approach  of  the  British  returned  to  recover 
their  homes  and  to  take  up  the  threads  of  life  in  what  must  have  seemed 
like  a  foreign  city.  Rents  were  reported  to  be  excessive  in  1784  and 
prices  were  generally  high.  Within  3  years  after  the  British  and 
Loyalists  departed,  it  was  estimated  that  the  inhabitants  numbered 
24,000.  An  influx  of  immigrants  set  in,  mostly  Irish,  but  other  na- 
tionalities were  also  represented  in  1783.  John  Jay  in  1785  discour- 
aged the  wife  of  Lafayette  from  coming  to  New  York  because  "the 
pleasures  of  Paris  and  the  pomp  of  Versailles  are  unknown  in  this 


"  Conference  between  Washington   and  Sir  Guy  Carleton  to   Arrange  for   the 

Evacuation  of  New  York  City  " 
From  copyrighted  photograph  of  Painting  on  Exhibition  in  the  Majestic  Hotel 
Gallery,  New  York  City 
(By  permission  of  the  artist,  John  Ward  Dunsmore) 

country."  Yet  in  1792  the  people  of  New  York  celebrated  the  ter- 
centenary of  the  discovery  of  America  with  music,  poetry,  orations 
and  banquets. 

The  Revolution  engendered  in  the  hearts  of  the  patriots  an  intense 
hatred  of  monarchy  and  aristocracy.  So  widespread  was  this  feeling 
that  it  is  not  likely  that  even  Washington  would  have  been  tolerated 
as  a  king.  Jealousy  of  rank  flared  up  when  officers  of  the  continental 
army  were  promised  half  pay  for  life,  on  the  ground  that  it  would 
create  a  dangerous  military  aristocracy.  Congress  heeded  the  protest 
by  substituting  5  years'  full  pay  in  cash.    When  the  disbanded  officers 


RESULTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION  239 

formed  the  Society  of  Cincinnati  near  Fishkill,  N.  Y.,  in  1783,  the 
common  soldiers  and  people  objected  to  the  "hereditary  aristocracy" 
created  and  feared  the  political  influence  of  the  order.  Most  of  the 
patriots  were  the  descendants  of  sires  who  had  fled  from  the  galling 
burdens  of  an  aristocratic  society  in  Europe,  and  now  that  they  had 
won  the  right  of  self-government  at  a  terrific  cost,  they  were  determined 
to  maintain  social  as  well  as  political  freedom  in  America.  Not- 
withstanding the  election  of  a  popular  idol. like  General  Alexander 
McDougall  as  president,  and  Governor  George  Clinton  as  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  New  York  State  Society  of  Cincinnati,  popular  resentment 
virtually  forced  the  temporary  dissolution  of  the  society. 

The  Sons  of  Liberty  of  the  early  days  of  the  Revolution  joined  with 
the  Sons  of  Saint  Tammany  in  1789  to  form  the  Columbian  Order  as 
a  "fraternity  of  patriots  solemnly  consecrated  to  the  independence,  the 
popular  liberty  and  the  federal  union  of  the  country."  William 
Mooney,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  was  the  organizer,  and  a  practical 
work  taken  up  by  the  society  was  to  care  for  the  widows  and  orphans 
of  Revolutionary  soldiers.  Many  of  the  disgruntled  soldiers  who  had 
failed  to  obtain  the  right  to  vote  were  members.  This  Columbian 
Order  later  became  Tammany  Hall,  so  powerful  in  city,  state  and 
national  politics. 

Eeonomic 

The  economic  results  of  the  Revolution  were  noticeable  in  many  di- 
rections. The  State  took  over  the  colonial  finances,  but  the  funds  de- 
rived from  the  colonial  treasury  were  not  large.  Consequently  the  war 
had  to  be  financed  from  new  resources.  For  this  purpose  the  credit  of 
the  United  States  and  of  the  State  of  New  York  was  used  to  issue 
paper  money.  When  this  currency  declined  in  value  until  it  was  almost 
worthless.  New  York  faced  the  situation  heroically,  levied  heavy  taxes 
on  the  people,  and  after  a  desperate  struggle  emerged  some  years  after 
the  war  financially  sound.  The  people  learned  the  terrific  cost  of  a 
war  of  independence.  At  times  the  situation  looked  hopeless.  As  late 
as  1781  Governor  Clinton  declared  that  it  was  "more  than  a  hazard" 
that  "we  shall  not  be  able  without  a  change  in  our  circumstances  long 
to  maintain  our  civil  government." 

At  the  outset  of  the  conflict,  the  people  of  New  York  were  fairly 
prosperous.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  articles  like  tea,  sugar,  rum, 
salt  and  luxuries  in  clothing  they  produced  the  commodities  which 
they  needed.  War  required  immediately  arms,  guns,  uniforms,  shoes, 
tents,  medicines  and  ammunition.  The  quantity  of  these  articles  avail- 
able was  quite  limited,  and  the  stores  had  been  deliberately  depleted 
by  the  nonimportation  agreement.  The  situation  was  desperate  and  the 
leaders  were  frantic  in  their  efforts  to  prepare  the  colony  for  war. 


240  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

Sources  of  supplies  of  iron,  lead  and  salt  were  inspected.  Bounties 
and  loans  were  offered  to  encourage  the  erection  of  foundries,  powder 
mills,  armories,  looms  and  shops  for  leather  goods,  clothing  and 
buttons.  The  situation  called  forth  the  capacity  for  organization,  in- 
ventive genius,  manufacturing  ability,  and  the  utilization  of  substitutes. 
The  resourcefulness  and  ingenuity  developed,  in  a  way,  prepared  the 
foundations  for  New  York's  industrial  primacy  in  later  years. 

Just  as  the  soldier  was  forced  to  fight  against  heavy  odds  for  lack 
of  suitable  equipment,  so  the  farmer  and  mechanic  were  handicapped 
for  tools,  raw  materials,  seeds,  and  implements  which  they  were  ac- 
customed to  obtain  abroad.  With  large  areas  of  the  State  in  the  hands 
of  the  enemy,  and  with  much  of  the  manual  labor  called  off  to  the 
army,  the  supply  of  food  declined  in  quantity  and  increased  in  price. 
The  live  stock  diminished,  scarcely  enough  horses  were  left  to  till  the 
soil,  the  amount  of  wool  and  flax  and  hemp  was  below  the  demand, 
and  leather  was  difficult  to  obtain.  The  deprivations  and  hardships 
of  the  nonmilitary  population  were  almost  as  great  as  those  endured 
by  the  men  on  the  firing  line. 

New  York  was  left  in  1783  overwhelmed  in  debt,  with  her  trade 
destroyed,  with  her  farming  equipment  depleted,  with  her  people  im- 
poverished, and  confronted  by  the  problem  of  rebuilding  her  economic 
life.  New  York  had  fine  harbors,  however,  and  inland  rivers  for  a 
great  commerce,  rich  farming  and  timber  lands,  valuable  natural 
resources,  and  above  all  else  a  hardy,  self-reliant,  resourceful  and 
industrious  people.  With  these  assets  it  was  scarcely  a  generation 
before  the  distressing  fruits  of  the  war  were  overcome  and  New  York 
was  on  the  way  to  become  the  Empire  State. 

The  trade  and  commerce  of  New  York  were  practically  destroyed 
by  the  capture  of  the  only  seaport  by  the  enemy.  For  several  years 
after  the  British  evacuation  the  situation  was  desperate.  Capital, 
produce  and  ships  were  lacking.  The  chamber  of  commerce,  incor- 
porated in  1768,  resumed  activity  and  gradually  business  revived.  In 
1785  the  "Empress  of  China"  returned  from  a  profitable  voyage  to 
the  celestial  empire  and  the  "Betsy"  made  a  similar  venture  to  India. 
By  1788  it  was  reported  that  a  hundred  ships  could  be  counted  at  the 
docks  of  New  York  City. 

One  of  the  most  significant  results  of  the  Revolution  was  the 
transformation  brought  about  in  the  debtor  and  creditor  classes.  Those 
persons  who  had  their  v^^ealth  in  business,  in  commerce  and  in  mort- 
gages saw  it  largely  wiped  out  by  the  depreciated  paper  money 
and  the  disorganizing  influences  of  war.  On  the  contrary,  those 
who   owed  money   were   able  to   meet   their  obligations   with  cheap 


RESULTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION  241 

money.  This  economic  readjustment  tended  toward  the  equalization  of 
wealth  and  placed  more  power  in  the  hands  of  the  poorer  class.  At 
the  same  time  cheap  paper  money  enabled  many  of  the  landless  class 
to  acquire  farms  which  quickly  improved  their  economic  lot.  On  the 
whole  the  agricultural  class  suffered  less  from  the  war  than  any 
other  class  in  the  State. 

Religious 

The  Revolution  had  a  religious  side  which  has  been  quite  generally 
overlooked.  The  Anglican  clergy  as  a  rule  sided  with  the  British;  and 
certainly  a  majority  of  the  Loyalists  were  Episcopalians.  The  project 
to  set  up  a  bishopric  in  America  was  one  of  the  indirect  causes  of  the 
revolt.  So  obnoxious  did  the  leaders,  the  Rev.  Charles  Inglis,  Rev. 
Samuel  Seabury  and  Dr  Myles  Cooper,  become  to  the  New  York 
patriots  that  a  change  of  residence  was  forced  upon  them.  Yet  New 
York  Episcopalianism  furnished  for  the  Revolution  such  leaders  as 
John  Jay,  James  Duane,  Gouverneur  Morris  and  Alexander  Hamilton. 
The  Methodists,  following  their  leader,  John  Wesley,  were  for  the 
most  part  Loyalists.  It  would  be  a  serious  error  to  assume,  however, 
that  Loyalist,  Episcopalian  and  Methodist  were  synonymous.  Among 
the  Loyalists  were  men  of  all  religious  beliefs,  and  among  the  Revolu- 
tionists were  many  Anglicans  and  Methodists.  In  1776  Trinity  Church 
in  New  York  City  was  burned,  and  the  church  bells  were  sent  out  of 
the  city  to  be  cast  into  cannon. 

Just  as  Anglicanism  was  the  heart  of  loyalism.  so  Calvinism  was  the 
core  of  republicanism.  Although  some  members  of  the  Congregational, 
Presbyterian,  German  Reformed  and  Dutch  Reformed  churches  were 
Loyalists,  a  majority  of  the  Revolutionists  were  affiliated  with  the 
Calvinistic  denominations.  In  New  York  the  patriots  were  dubbed 
the  "Presbyterian  party."  Its  leaders  were  the  Livingstons,  the  Smiths, 
Alexander  McDougall,  John  Morin  Scott  and  John  Lamb.  Dr  Charles 
Inglis  said  that  he  did  "not  know  one  Presbyterian  minister"  who 
opposed  the  Revolution.  In  New  York  the  powerful  Dutch  Reformed 
Church  supported  the  American  cause  in  every  possible"  way,  but 
there  were  exceptions  like  the  Rev.  Garret  Lydekker  who  ministered 
to  the  Dutch  Loyalists  in  St  George's  Chapel,  the  Rev.  Hermanns 
Lancelot  Boelen  of  Oyster  Bay,  and  the  Rev.  Joannes  Casparus  Rubel, 
who  was  expelled  in  1784  for  beating  his  wife,  getting  drunk,  and 
toryism.  The  German  Reformed  Church  in  the  Mohawk  Valley  was 
uniformly  patriotic,  but  the  Rev.  John  M.  Kern  of  New  York  City 
was  an  ardent  Loyalist. 

The  other  churches  were  more  or  less  divided  on  the  American 
cause.    Pastor  Frederick  Augustus  Conrad  Muhlenberg  of  the  German 


242  THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

Lutheran  Church  of  New  York  City  followed  his  father  and  brothers 
in  supporting  the  patriots,  but  other  ministers  and  communicants  of 
that  denomination  were  Loyalists.  Washington  praised  the  Baptists 
for  their  uniform  and  unanimous  devotion  to  civil  liberty.  The  Rev. 
John  Gano  was  recruiting"  Baptists  in  New  York  City  when  driven  out 
by  the  British.  Throughout  the  war  he  was  an  active  revolutionist, 
serving  General  Clinton's  brigade  as  chaplain  for  some  time.  When 
the  war  was  over  he  returned  to  the  metropolis  to  reunite  his  scattered 
flock,  but  out  of  200  members  only  thirty-seven  could  be  found, 
Washington  lauded  the  "patriotic  part"  taken  by  the  Roman  Catholics, 
who  seem  to  have  been  quite  active  after  the  Catholic  countries,  France 
and  Spain,  recognized  the  United  States.  Quakers  naturally  sought 
to  remain  neutral  but  found  such  a  course  difficult.  This  indifference 
brought  upon  them  charges  of  disloyalty  and  punishment.  It  seems 
clear,  however,  that  the  hearts  of  a  majority  were  with  the  patriots. 
The  New  York  Committee  of  Safety  on  September  7,  1775,  ordered 
the  Quakers  to  hand  in  a  list  of  their  males  between  the  ages  of  16 
and  60  years.  On  December  27,  1776,  a  special  affirmation  of 
allegiance  was  drawn  up  for  Quakers  in  Westchester  county.  The 
Dutchess  county  Quakers  sent  a  deputation  to  the  Committee  of  Safety 
asking  that  the  test  be  suspended,  but  the  request  was  refused  on 
January  21,  1777.  On  June  19th  of  that  year  the  Council  of  Safety 
ordered  the  commissioners  for  detecting  conspiracies  to  arrest  and 
imprison  at  their  own  expense  about  twenty  Quakers  who  had  attended 
one  of  their  annual  rheetings  on  Long  Island  without  consent.  Two 
months  later  they  were  released  after  making  the  affirmation  of 
allegiance  and  paying  costs.  In  1780  they  were  assessed  with  a 
special  tax,  40  shillings  for  freeholders  and  16  shillings  for  "residents," 
in  lieu  of  military  service. 

As  a  result  of  the  triumph  of  the  Revolution,  the  churches  began 
to  reorganize  on  a  national  American  basis.  In  1784  the  Methodists 
separated  from  England  and  formed  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
with  its  own  bishops.  The  Episcopalians  in  1785  created  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  following  a  preliminary  conference  in  1784  in 
New  York.  The  Roman  Catholics  were  united  in  1790  under  Bishop 
John  Carroll  who  was  given  jurisdiction  over  all  Catholics  in  the 
United  States  including  the  1500  in  New  York.  In  like  manner  the 
other  churches  were  unified  and  Americanized,  and  had  much  influence 
in  generating  a  spirit  of  nationalism. 

One  of  the  greatest  results  of  the  Revolution  was  the  adoption  of  the 
principle  of  the  separation  of  the  Church  and  State.  Religious  liberty 
accompanied  political   freedom  in  the  minds  of  the  patriots.     Slate 


RESULTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION  243 

churches  were  disestablished  in  New  York  by  the  Constitution  of 
1777  and  religious  toleration  was  guaranteed  to  all  sects.  In  1693 
the  Episcopal  Church  was  established  by  law  in  the  city  and  county 
of  New  York,  and  in  the  counties  of  Westchester,  Queens  and  Rich- 
mond. From  that  date  until  1776  the  Calvinists,  Quakers,  Jews,  Roman 
Catholics  and  people  of  other  faiths,  as  well  as  Episcopalians,  were 
forced  by  general  taxation  to  support  the  English  church.  Dr  John 
H.  Livingston  on  October  22,  1783,  set  forth  the  situation  exactly 
when  he  said  that  the  Revolution  had  destroyed  all  state-church  ideas. 
On  April  6,  1784,  a  law  permitted  any  religious  society  to  organize 
as  a  body  corporate  to  manage  its  temporal  affairs. 

During  the  war  church  buildings  were  destroyed,  plundered  or  used 
for  military  or  hospital  purposes,  and  loo  often  permitted  to  fall  into 
decay.  In  some  instances  the  British  carried  church  furniture  back 
to  England  where  it  was  used  for  ecclesiastical  or  domestic  purposes. 
Religious  services  were  sadly  neglected.  Whole  congregations  were 
disbanded.  The  task  of  reconstruction  was  a  gigantic  one  but  the 
ministers  and  people  of  the  various  denominations  took  up  the  problem 
with  superb  optimism.  Notwithstanding  the  exemption  of  all  clergy- 
men from  military  service,  they  did  not  seem  able  to  keep  their  con- 
gregations intact  during  the  war. 

Eight  years  of  war  had  coarsened  the  people  of  the  State.  Profanity, 
immorality,  theft,  burglary,  robbery,  gambling  and  other  evils  called 
forth  prayers  and  importunities  from  the  pious.  In  1780  the  "Minis- 
ters and  Elders"  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  of  New  York  memo- 
rialized Governor  Clinton  "to  suppress  all  scandalous  and  heaven- 
provoking  improprieties."  They  said  that  "vices  of  the  first  magni- 
tude were  boldly  practiced"  to  the  perversion  of  good  order  in  society, 
and  that  magistrates  and  ministers  could  no  longer  curb  "the  spirit  of 
licentiousness."  The  Lord's  Day  was  "wantonly  profaned";  the  "awful 
name  of  God"  was  used  on  the  most  trivial  occasions;  gaming  was 
carried  on  with  "unrestrained  freedom";  and  vice  and  immorality 
were  rampant.  They  asked  the  Legislature  to  enforce  the  old  laws  and 
to  enact  new  ones  to  reform  the  growing  evils.  The  records  of  the 
state  and  local  committees  are  full  of  criminal  cases  covering  all  sorts 
of  moral  shortcomings.  This  heritage  of  crime,  vice,  and  immorality 
was  one  which  the  State  and  churches  earnestly  endeavored  to  get  rid 
of  in  the  post-Revolutionary  period. 

In  1779  the  Legislature  passed  a  bill  "to  prevent  horse-racing  and 
theatrical  entertainments,"  but  the  Council  of  Revision  objected  to 
it  because  it  put  too  much  power  in  the  hands  of  a  single  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  it  failed  to  become  law. 


244  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

Representatives  of  many  religions  were  found  in  New  York — Jew 
and  Gentile;  Catholic  and  Protestant;  Anglican,  Calvinist,  Methodist, 
Lutheran  and  Quaker.  Although  stern  measures  were  used  against 
those  sects  that  tended  to  side  with  the  British,  yet  on  the  whole  there 
was  shown  an  admirable  spirit  of  forbearance  and  tolerance.  This 
condition  made  it  easier  to  create  a  friendly  interdenominational  feel- 
ing after  the  war  ended. 

Cultural 

To  appreciate  the  effects  of  the  Revolution  on  educational  institu- 
tions, one  should  know  the  character  of  the  earlier  agencies  of  instruc- 
tion. The  colonial  instruments  of  culture  and  intelligence  were: 
King's  College,  founded  in  1754  in  New  York  City,  which  had  gradu- 
ated upward  of  100  young  men;  Latin  and  grammar  schools,  public 
and  private;  newspapers;  at  least  six  public  libraries  besides  a  number 
of  others  owned  by  individuals;  a  few  collections  of  art,  and  a 
moderate  degree  of  proficiency  in  music.  In  cultural  attainments  the 
colony  of  New  York  compared  favorably  with  others,  and  the  facts 
seem  to  contradict  the  assertion  of  Grahame  that  "the  great  bulk  of 
the  people  were  strangers  even  to  the  first  rudiments  of  science  and 
cultivation,  till  the  era  of  the  American  Revolution."  Quite  a  few  of 
the  men  of  the  colony  were  graduates  of  King's  College,  Yale,  Harvard, 
or  British  universities.  The  proportion  of  trained  professional  men 
such  as  lawyers,  doctors,  engineers  and  ministers  was  as  large,  com- 
pared to  the  population,  as  in  other  colonies.  Instruction  was  given 
in  Latin,  Greek,  Dutch,  German,  Spanish,  Italian  and  French  as  well 
as  English.  Private  tutors  were  generally  employed  particularly  in 
the  metropolis,  and  the  newspapers  contained  many  advertisements  of 
such  service.  Special  efforts  were  made  to  extend  these  privileges  to 
young  women — particularly  the  "polite  French  language."  Evening 
schools  for  language,  science,  mathematics,  surveying,  navigation  and 
bookkeeping  were  rather  common  in  New  York  City.  There  seemed 
to  be  a  call  for  a  practical  and  vocational  type  of  education  in  colonial 
New  York  as  well  as  the  classical.  The  Latin  grammar  school  never 
flourished  here,  although  several  attempts  were  made  to  establish  one 
in  New  York  City. 

When  the  Revolution  began  there  was  no  established  system  of  either 
elementary  or  secondary  schools.  Such  schools  as  existed  were  man- 
aged either  by  private  individuals  or  by  church  societies.  Perhaps 
they  were  more  numerous  than  one  might  suppose.  From  1710  to 
1776  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts 


RESULTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION  245 

maintained  in  the  colony  from  five  to  ten  elementary  schools  with 
from  twenty  to  eighty-six  pupils.  This  was  the  "nearest  approach 
to  a  public  school  system."  A  recent  list  of  schoolmasters  in  New 
York  from  1775  to  1783,  printed  by  the  State,  includes  fifty-two  names 
from  seventeen  different  counties,  towns  and  cities.  Most  of  them 
were  in  English  elementary  and  secondary  schools,  but  the  Dutch  were 
well  represented.  About  twenty-four  of  them  came  from  New  York 
City,  and  the  rest  from  the  Hudson  and  Mohawk  valleys  and  Long 
Island.  A  number  of  the  schoolmasters  were  Loyalists.  Some  of  them 
joined  the  British  army,  and  others  were  placed  under  surveillance  at 
home.  During  the  British  occupation  of  southern  New  York  the  even- 
ing schools,  private  schools  and  special  tutors  were  kept  busy  in  New 
York  City.  In  1777  Latin  and  Greek  were  advertised  in  the  metropolis 
as  well  as  the  common  branches,  and  practical  subjects  like  book- 
keeping, surveying  and  navigation.  George  Murray,  a  Quaker,  kept 
a  school  on  Crown  street  opposite  the  Friends'  meeting  house.  Evi- 
dently it  was  disrupted  by  the  British  occupation,  for  one  reads  that 
the  school  was  reopened  in  1783. 

The  Poor  Law  of  1788,  probably  repeating  earlier  provisions  of  the 
Duke's  Laws,  required  that  every  person  who  took  a  child  as  an  ap- 
prentice "shall  cause  such  child  to  be  taught  and  instructed  to  read 
and  write."  The  overseers  of  the  poor  were  expected  to  see  that  the 
law  was  carried  out.  This  was  the  earliest  example  of  compulsory 
education  after  the  Revolution. 

The  first  important  move  to  counteract  the  destructive  influence  of 
the  war  on  education  came  from  Governor  Clinton  in  an  address  to  the 
Legislature  at  its  sixth  session  on  June  11,  1782.  "In  the  present 
respite  from  the  more  severe  distresses  and  calamities  of  the  war," 
he  said,  "I  can  not  forbear  suggesting  to  you  a  work  which  I  conceive 
ought  not  to  be  deferred,  as  the  business  of  peace,  the  promotion  and 
encouragement  of  learning."  Although  the  war  had  "occasioned  a 
chasm  in  education,  extremely  injurious  to  the  rising  generation,"  he 
urged  that  it  was  "the  peculiar  duty  of  the  government  of  a  free 
state"  to  establish  "schools  and  seminaries."  This  public  obligation 
he  kept  before  the  Legislature  and  on  January  21,  1784,  he  again 
declared  that  "neglect  of  the  education  of  youth  is  among  the  evils  con- 
sequent on  war"  and  urged  "the  revival  and  encouragement  of  semi- 
naries of  learning."  Following  the  suggestion  of  the  Governor  both 
houses  of  the  Legislature  early  in  1784  appointed  committees  on 
education. 

No  mention  of  schools  seems  to  be  made  in  the  records  of  either  the 
local  or  state  bodies  during  the  Revolution.     Apparently  the  schools 


246  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

were  left  entirely  to  private  initiative — either  individual  or  institu- 
tional. That  the  colonial  schools  were  disrupted  more  or  less  by  the 
war  seems  probable.  Evidently  Governor  Clinton's  appeal  for  their 
"revival"  was  occasioned  by  their  neglect  if  not  abandonment.  The 
authorities  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  in  1783  voted  4  days  after 
the  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  that  Peter  Van  Steenbergh,  "public 
schoolmaster  of  this  congregation,"  had  permission  to  reopen  his  school 
and  to  live  in  the  schoolhouse.  Other  men  within  and  without  the 
Legislature  were  thinking  of  state  support  for  education,  and  in  con- 
sequence laws  were  passed  in  1782,  1784  and  1786  which  set  apart 
two  lots  in  each  township  in  the  public  lands  of  the  State  for  the 
"gospel  and  schools."  This  allotment  was  made  by  the  Surveyor 
General  in  1789.  So  successful  was  the  experiment  that  in  1792 
Governor  Clinton  mentioned  the  highly  satisfactory  "condition  of  our 
seminaries  of  learning."  At  the  same  time  he  felt  that  they  were  for 
"the  children  of  the  opulent"  and  in  1795  urged  "the  establishment 
of  common  schools  throughout  the  State." 

Upon  the  advice  of  the  Board  of  Regents  in  1793  that  common 
schools  be  organized  in  the  State  and  the  recommendation  of  Governor 
Clinton  the  law  of  1795  was  passed  appropriating  funds  for  schools 
in  the  cities  and  towns.  The  pupils  were  to  be  taught  English,  mathe- 
matics and  other  useful  branches  of  knowledge.  The  money  was  dis- 
tributed among  twenty-one  counties  on  the  basis  of  voters  for  Assem- 
blymen. The  supervisors  of  these  counties  were  authorized  to  appor- 
tion the  funds  among  the  towns  on  the  basis  of  "taxible  inhabitants." 
The  county  supervisors  (except  in  New  York)  were  to  raise  by  local 
taxation  a  sum  equal  to  half  the  money  received  from  the  State.  The 
"freeholders  and  inhabitants"  of  the  towns  qualified  to  vote  at  town 
meetings  were  authorized  to  elect  from  three  to  seven  commissioners 
of  schools  to  manage  the  schools. 

The  "inhabitants"  of  each  school  district  were  empowered  to  meet 
for  the  purpose  of  selecting  teachers,  of  erecting  buildings,  and  of 
appointing  two  or  more  trustees.  Systematic  reports  of  the  schools 
were  to  be  made  out  by  districts,  towns  and  counties  to  the  Secretary 
of,  State,  who  in  turn  made  a  general  report  to  the  Legislature.  The 
Board  of  Regents  had  no  authority  over  these  common  schools.  This 
democratic  enactment  organized  the  "district  system"  and  placed  in 
the  hands  of  the  people  the  responsibility  for  administering  the  schools. 
It  provided  state  support  and  encouraged  each  town  to  raise  a  fair 
share  of  the  school  budget.  It  did  not  provide  for  public  elementary 
education  by  a  common  tax,  but  merely  offered  financial  aid  to  the 


.    RESULTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION  247 

people  of  those  localities  which  wished  to  erect  schools  for  the  educa- 
tion of  their  children.  In  short,  the  State  merely  offered  attractive 
inducements  to  the  people  to  make  their  own  provisions  for  education.^ 

Free  schools  for  the  people  soon  became  the  emblem  of  civil  liberty 
and  popular  government.  These  common  schools  were  under  the  gen- 
eral direction  of  the  Legislature  for  some  years  before  a  state  superin- 
tendent was  appointed  by  the  Council  of  Appointment. 

That  the  thoughts  of  the  patriots  of  New  York  were  on  things  higher 
than  the  hardships  of  the  military  camp  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  in 
1779  "a  great  number  of  respectable  inhabitants"  of  Albany,  Tryon 
and  Charlotte  counties  petitioned  the  Governor  and  Legislature  to  grant 
a  charter  for  "Clinton  College"  in  honor  of  New  York's  first  Governor. 
The  petitioners  pointed  out  the  need  "for  men  of  learning"  to  fill 
the  ojEfices  in  church  and  state,  and  suggested  Schenectady  as  a  suit- 
able seat  "for  a  seminary  of  learning."  A  charter  was  drawn  up,  it 
seems,  but  never  signed  and  sealed.  Another  petition  of  the  same  year 
for  the  same  purpose  was  signed  by  543  persons  in  Albany  and  Tryon 
counties,  and  132  persons  in  Charlotte  county.  In  1782  still  another 
petition  with  about  1200  subscribers  was  presented  to  the  Legislature. 

Although  nothing  came  immediately  of  these  efforts,  they  are  tre- 
mendously significant.  In  the  midst  of  the  carnage  and  horrors  of  a 
civil  war,  when  finances  were  in  a  state  of  chaos  and  the  people  were 
pinched  by  hardship  and  poverty,  the  vision  of  a  free  state  based  on 
intelligent  leadership  loomed  large  in  the  minds  of  the  patriots.  The 
citizens  of  Schenectady  alone  offered  to  subscribe  $20,000  for  the  new 
college. 

The  first  result  of  this  early  agitation  came  in  1785  when  a  private 
academy  under  twelve  trustees  was  organized  at  Schenectady.  In 
1792  there  were  eighty  students  in  the  English  language  and  twenty 
more  preparing  for  college.  Out  of  this  academy  Union  College 
emerged  which  was  chartered  by  the  Regents  in  1795  and  was  the 
first  strictly  nonsectarian  college  in  the  Nation.  In  this  same  year  an 
application  for  a  college  at  Albany  was  denied. 

Early  in  1779  an  application  was  made  to  the  Legislature  to  permit 
the  trustees  of  the  freeholders  of  Kingston  to  erect  a  college  or  uni- 
versity in  that  town.  The  petition  was  presented  but  no  action  fol- 
lowed. 


^The  act  of  1795  for  the  encouragement  of  schools  and  sources  from  West- 
chester county  showing  how  the  measure  operated  were  printed  by  the  Divisioii 
of  Archives  and  History,  The  University  of  the  State  of  New  York,  Albany,  1919. 


248  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

In  1798  the  reports  of  sixteen  counties  showed  1352  elementary 
schools  with  59,660  pupils.  This  was  one  of  the  most  important  results 
of  the  Revolution. 

Meanwhile  a  revolutionary  step  was  taken  in  higher  education 
when  in  1784  King's  College  was  rechartered  as  Columbia  College. 
The  petition  calling  for  the  reorganization  stated  that  the  old  charter 
was  inconsistent  with  the  "civil  and  religious  freedom"  of  the  Constitu- 
tion of  1777.  The  intent  seemed  to  be  to  remodel  the  college  so  that  it 
would  serve  the  great  purpose  of  the  Revolution.  The  University  of 
the  State  of  New  York  was  created  to  supervise  all  higher  education; 
and  the  Board  of  Regents  was  organized  as  a  governing  body  of  the 
University.  King's  College  lost  its  president  in  1775  when  Dr  Myles 
Cooper  was  forced  to  flee  because  of  his  loyalism.  Rev.  Benjamin 
Moore  was  chosen  temporary  president  on  May  16,  1776,  but  mean- 
while the  college  building  was  used  for  troops  by  the  Committee  of 
Safety.  The  students  were  for  the  most  part  dispersed  and  did  not 
assemble  again  till  1784.  The  college  records  show  that  a  few  students 
were  matriculated  in  1777  and  that  the  governors  met  occasionally. 
President  Moore  and  some  of  the  teachers  may  have  carried  on  some 
educational  work  in  their  homes.  The  British  pillaged  the  college 
library  and  used  the  college  building  for  a  hospital.  In  1786  a  com- 
mittee of  the  University  recommended  the  organization  of  "academies 
for  the  instruction  of  youth,"  and  such  institutions  were  located  at 
Goshen,  Flatbush  and  East  Hampton.  The  next  year  the  law  authorized 
the  Board  of  Regents  to  incorporate  academies.  By  1795  sixteen 
academies  in  various  parts  of  the  State  had  been  so  incorporated. 

Thus  another  important  result  of  the  Revolution  was  the  reorganiza- 
tion of  institutions  for  higher  education,  and  the  unification  of  the 
whole  system  of  higher  education  in  the  University  of  the  State.  The 
"Regents  System"  took  its  place  as  "the  earliest  and  strongest  of  the 
state  systems"  in  the  Nation. 

When  by  the  acts  of  1782,  1784  and  1786  the  State  set  aside  "gospel 
and  schools"  lots  in  the  public  land,  other  lots  were  set  aside  "for 
promoting  literature"  as  the  Legislature  might  direct.  In  1786  ten 
townships  in  Franklin,  Clinton  and  Essex  counties  were  granted  for 
educational  purposes.  In  1796  in  Onondaga  county  twenty-seven  lots 
were  set  aside  for  the  promotion  of  literature,  and  others  were  reserved 
later.  Lotteries  were  authorized  to  aid  the  literature  fund  and  the 
arrears  of  quit-rents  were  turned  over  to  it.  This  fund  was  used  as 
endowment  to  support  education  in  the  State. 


RESULTS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION  249 

In  1790  a  law  gave  to  the  University  of  the  State  large  tracts  of 
public  land  at  the  head  and  foot  of  Lake  George  and  around  Crown 
Point  and  Governor's  Island  in  New  York  Harbor  as  an  endowment 
for  Columbia  College  and  the  academies.  In  1802  Union  College  was 
permitted  to  share  in  these  lands.  The  income  was  to  be  used  to 
"promote  science  and  literature"  as  the  surest  basis  for  the  liberty, 
property  and  happiness  of  "an  enlightened  people."  The  same  act 
authorized  the  payment  of  $2500  out  of  the  State  treasury  to  the 
Regents  of  the  University  to  finance  the  work  of  higher  education. 
In  1791  the  Legislature  authorized  the  school  trustee  of  the  town  of 
Clermont  in  Columbia  county  to  use  the  funds  in  the  hands  of  the 
overseers  of  the  poor  to  build  a  schoolhouse  for  an  elementary  school 
— the  first  one  to  be  erected  in  the  State  out  of  public  funds.  In  1792 
the  State  appropriated  for  Columbia  College  S8500for  enlarging  the 
library,  for  a  chemical  laboratory,  and  for  new  buildings  and  repairs 
to  the  old  one,  and  agreed  to  appropriate  the  sum  of  $3750  annually 
for  a  term  of  5  years  for  the  same  purposes.  To  add  needed  pro- 
fessors the  further  sum  of  $1975  was  to  be  paid  yearly  for  5  years. 
In  1791  the  Regents  of  the  University  were  authorized  by  law  to 
establish  a  college  of  physicians  and  surgeons  providing  the  property 
of  the  college  would  never  exceed  $150,000.  Early  in  1795  the  Legis- 
lature authorized  the  State  Treasurer  to  pay  to  the  trustees  of  Union 
College  in  Schenectady  the  sum  of  $3750  as  a  gift  of  the  people  of 
the  State  for  books  and  scientific  apparatus.  It  was  at  an  early  date, 
therefore,  that  the  State  began  the  practice  of  granting  public  state 
funds  for  the  encouragement  of  higher  education. 

From  what  has  been  said  it  will  be  seen  that  between  1775  and 
1789  there  occurred  as  much  of  a  revolution  in  education  as  had  taken 
place  in.  government  and  society.  The  new  educational  system  which 
emerged,  based  on  English,  French  and  American  experience,  was 
largely  free  from  the  domination  of  old  traditions  and  consciously 
attempted  to  meet  the  problems  of  a  new  order  in  America.  In  his 
first  annual  message  President  Washington  said  in  New  York  City 
that  "knowledge  is  in  every  country  the  surest  basis  of  public  hap- 
piness, and  in  our  own  most  essential  to  the  common  prosperity."  The 
fathers  of  the  State  were  acting  under  that  conviction. 

In  conclusion  one  may  say  that  the  American  Revolution  was  not 
directed  against  colonial  laws  and  institutions,  but  against  overseas 
pretentions  to  direct  colonial  life  and  business.  It  is  not  surprising, 
therefore,  to  find  colonial  government,  society,  industry,  religion  and 
education  largely  persisting  through  the  war  and  becoming  the  basis 
for  the  free  State  which  resulted.    When  all  the  factors  are  taken  into 


250  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

account  the  American  Revolution  was  on  the  whole  not  an  extremely 
radical  movement.  Except  for  the  sundering  of  political  ties  with  the 
British  Empire,  old  usages  were  not  torn  up  by  the  roots.  Under  the 
high-sounding  phrases  of  the  day  the  old  civilization  with  its  blessings 
and  its  evils  was  carried  over  into  the  new  era  to  be  changed  as 
exigencies  demanded  in  the  years  ahead.  The  right  of  majorities 
v;as  substituted  for  the  rights  of  man.  A  new  State  had  been  born 
which  Washington  in  1784  might  well  call  "the  Seat  of  the  Empire." 


CHRONOLOGY  OF  NEW  YORK  IN  THE  REVOLUTION 

1765 
January  6  The  name  "Sons  of  Liberty"  first  used  by  Colonel  Barre 

in  British  Parliament  in  opposition  to  Stamp  Act. 
March  22  Stamp  Act  received  royal  assent. 
April  11     News  of  Stamp  Act  reached  America. 
June  10     New  York  Gazette  suspended  on  account  of  opposition  to 

the  Stamp  Act. 
August  30     James  McEvers  resigned  as  distributor  of  stamps. 
August  31     General  Gage  wrote  Colden  that  the  public  papers  were 

"crammed  with  treason"  and  that  the  people  were  "encouraged 

to  revolt." 
September  6     Fort  George  put  in  a  state  of  defense. 
October  7     Stamp  Act  Congress  met  in  New  York  City. 
October  22     Ship  "Edward"  brought  first  stamps  to  metropolis. 
October   31      People    in    mourning   over   Stamp    Act.      People    cried 

"Liberty"  and  broke  lamps  and  windows.     Sons  of  Liberty  chose 

a  committee   of   correspondence.     Merchants   agreed   to   boycott 

British  goods. 
November  1     Stamp  Act  became  operative.     New  York  in  a  state  of 

rebellion.     No  effort  to  enforce  Stamp  Act. 
December  11     Assembly    protested    to    king   and    parliament    against 

"internal  taxes  and  duties." 

1766 

January  7     Sons  of  Liberty  resolved  to  "go  to  the  last  extremity"  in 

resisting  the  Stamp  Act. 
March  18     King  assented  to  repeal  of  Stamp  Act. 
April  26     Bells  rung  in  New  York  City  to  celebrate  repeal  of  Stamp 

Act. 
May  20     A  second  celebration  on  receipt  of  more  positive  news  of 

the  rescinding  of  the  Stamp  Act. 
May  21     First  Liberty  Pole  erected  in  New  York  City  and  banquet 

held  in  honor  of  defeat  of  Stamp  Act. 
June  30     Assembly  resolved  to  erect  a  statue  to  George  III  and  to 

Pitt. 

9  [251] 


252  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

August  11  First  blood  of  Revolution  shed  in  conflict  between  Sons 
of  Liberty  and  English  soldiers. 

December  15  Assembly,  refusing  to  vote  supplies  for  troops,  was 
prorogued. 

1767 

June  29  King  assented  to  Townshend  Act  placing  a  duty  on  glass, 
lead,  paints,  paper  and  tea. 

July  2  King  signed  bill  restraining  Assembly  from  passing  any  act 
until  his  troops  were  supplied. 

October  5  Governor  Moore  reported  that  Assembly  had  voted  sup- 
plies for  soldiers. 

December  18  Governor  Moore  proclaimed  Sons  of  Liberty  guilty 
of  sedition. 

1768 

January  31     Baron  de  Kalb  arrived  in  New  York  City. 

February  6  Legislature  appropriated  £1000  for  statue  to  George 
III  and  £500  for  one  to  Pitt. 

August  27     Nonimportation  agreement  of  merchants. 

September  5  Tradesmen  and  mechanics  agreed  not  to  purchase  im- 
ported goods. 

November  8     Assembly  protested  against  new  taxes. 

November  14     Popular  demonstration  in  New  York  City. 

December  31  Assembly  asserted  its  constitutional  rights  in  a  series 
of  resolutions. 

1769 

January  2  Governor  Moore  dissolved  Assembly  because  of  its  re- 
solves "repugnant  to  Great  Britain." 

February  18  "The  Friends  of  Liberty"  celebrated  the  repeal  of  the 
Stamp  Act. 

March  13  Committee  appointed  to  "inspect  all  European  importa- 
tions." 

April  6  Colonel  Morris  given  permission  to  introduce  a  bill  in  ths 
Assembly  to  exempt  all  Protestants  from  taxes  for  the  Estab- 
lished Church  in  southern  New  York. 

April  10  Assembly  thanked  merchants  for  observing  the  nonim- 
portation agreement.  Cordwainers  and  Sons  of  Liberty  agreed  not 
to  eat  lamb  in  order  to  encourage  wool  growing. 

May  13  Committee  of  merchants  appealed  to  "the  ladies  in  particu- 
lar" not  to  buy  imported  articles. 

June  19  Alexander  Robertson  was  forced  to  apologize  for  bringing 
boycotted  goods  into  New  York  for  sale. 


CHRONOLOGY  253 

July  7  Sons  of  Liberty  of  New  York  City  published  their  constitution. 
July  13  Violators  of  nonimportation  agreement  advertised  in  press. 
July  22      Simeon   Cooley   "publicly   acknowledged   his   crimes"    and 

implored  pardon  in  the  Fields  for  violating  the  nonimportation 

agreement. 
September  19     Thomas  Richardson  at  a  scaffold  near  the  Liberty  Pole 

begged  public  pardon  for  selling  forbidden  goods. 
November  30     Assembly  voted  to  exempt  all  Protestants  from  paying 

taxes  to   support  churches  to  which  they   did  not  belong.     Not 

passed  by  Council. 
December  18     Public  meeting  in  Fields  protested  against  voting  pub- 
lic money  for  British  troops. 
December  20     Governor   Colden    offered   £100    reward   for  name   of 

author  of  seditious  broadsides. 
December  22     Assembly  voted  for  elections  by  ballot. 

1770 

January  5     Colden   signed  bills   granting  £2000  for  support  of  the 

troops. 
January  13     British  soldiers  attempted  to  cut  down  the  Liberty  Pole 

and  attacked  Montague's  house. 
January    17      Liberty   Pole    cut   down   by   soldiers.      Three   thousand 

citizens  met  to  discuss  the  Billeting  Act  and  to  boycott  the  soldiers. 
January  19     "Battle  of  Golden  Hill"  in  which  soldiers  and  civilians 

were  wounded — called  the  "first  battle  of  the  Revolution." 
January  22     Mayor  Hicks  ordered  soldiers  to  stay  in  barracks  unless 

accompanied  by  ofl&cers. 
February   2      Common  council    of  New  York  City   voted  for   public 

sessions. 
P'ebruary  6     Sons  of  Liberty  erected  their  fifth  Liberty  Pole. 
February  7     Alexander  McDougall  put  in  jail  for  printing  seditious 

handbills. 
February  14     "Forty-five  gentlemen    .    .    .    real  enemies  of  internal 

taxation"  dined  with  Captain  McDougall. 
March  14     McDougall  pardoned  and  released  from  jail. 
March  19     Anniversary  of  the  repeal  of  Stamp  Act  celebrated. 
March  19    News  of  Boston  Massacre  printed  in  New  York. 
March  24    Soldiers  tried  to  destroy  Liberty  Pole  but  failed. 
May  17     Subscribers  of  nonimportation  agreement  called  to  meet. 
May  30     Public  meeting  in  city  hall  resolved  to  uphold  nonimporta- 
tion agreement  although  other  colonies  were  violating  it. 


254  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

June  11     Division  of  opinion  over  nonimportation. 

July  5     Proposed  to  limit  nonimportation  to  tea. 

July  7  A  "great  majority"  voted  to  resume  importation  from  Great 
Britain,  except  tea,  until  other  colonies  ratified.  Orders  sent  to 
England  for  goods. 

July  25  Sons  of  Liberty  asked  counties  to  oppose  breaking  the  non- 
importation compact. 

August  16     Equestrian  statue  of  George  III  erected  in  Bowling  Green. 

September  7     Statue  of  Pitt  erected  in  Wall  street. 

December  13  McDougall  called  before  Assembly  and  sent  to  jail  for 
issuing  an  objectionable  broadside. 

December  17     Edmund  Burke  appointed  agent  of  New  York. 

1771 

March  18     Anniversary  of  repeal  of  Stamp  Act  celebrated. 
July  9     Governor  Tryon  assumed  government  of  province. 

1772 

January  1     Complaint  about  overtaxation  of  New  York  City. 
January    16      Assembly   voted   that   future   members   must   be   actual 

residents  of  the  districts  in  which  they  were  elected. 
March  18     Anniversary  of  repeal   of  Stamp  Act  celebrated  in  New 

York  City  and  on  Long  Island. 
March  24     New  Militia  Act. 
April  25     Postal  service  extended  to  Quebec. 
June  4     King's  birthday  observed  with  "great  solemnity." 
June  24     Stage  coach  started  from  New  York  to  Boston. 

1773 

April    22     Rivington's   New   York   Gazette   began    but   soon    aroused 

criticism  for  its  Tory  tendencies. 
June  4     King's  birthday  celebrated  with  much  pomp. 
July  7     Franklin  suggested  a  general  Congress. 
October  15     Public  meeting  at  the  Coffee  House  thanked  captains  of 

London  ships  for  refusing  to  carry  tea  to  New  York. 
October  25     News  reached  New  York  that  tea  would  be  sent  to  colonies. 
November  3     Governor  Tryon  regretted  to  report  "the  ferment  in  the 

minds  of  many"  over  the  report  about  tea. 
November  4     Effigy  of  one  Kelly  displaved  for  encouraging  shipment 

of  tea  to  America. 


CHRONOLOGY  255 

November  27  Committee  appointed  to  ascertain  what  would  be  done 
with  tea,  ''The  Mohawks"  threatened  any  merchants  who  re- 
ceived the  tea  with  '"an  unwelcome  visit." 

November  29  Sons  of  Liberty  took  lead  in  opposing  taxes  by  means 
of  tea. 

December  1  Council  decided  to  store  tea  in  fort  and  barracks,  but 
■'Liberty  Boys'  determined  not  to  permit  its  landing. 

December     4     Tea  agents  refused  to  receive  it. 

December  15     Governor  Tryon  decided  not  to  use  force. 

December  16  Boston  Tea  Party  —  known  in  New  York  on  December 
23d. 

December  17  Meeting  in  city  hall  appointed  a  committee  of  cor- 
respondence of  fifteen  members  and  voted  that  tea  should  not  be 
landed. 

1774 

January  3  Governor  Tryon  wrote  that  tea  could  be  safely  landed  at 
New  York  only  under  the  "point  of  the  bayonet  and  muzzle  of 
the  cannon." 

January  20     Assembly  named  a  committee  of  correspondence. 

March     5     John  Hancock  proposed  a  general  congress. 

March  17     Tea  ships  expected  daily. 

March  18     Repeal  of  Stamp  Act  again  celebrated  by  a  large  company. 

March  24  Committee  of  correspondence  promised  cooperation  with 
Boston  in  effectual  measures  and  in  appointing  post  riders. 

March  31     King  approved  the  Boston  Port  Bill. 

April  7  Lieutenant  Governor  Colden  resumed  government  of  New 
York. 

April  19     Broadside  announced  arrival  of  tea  ships. 

April  22  Mohawks  dump  tea  in  harbor  —  this  was  New  York's  Tea 
Party. 

April  23     Another  tea  ship  returned  to  England. 

May  12     Copy  of  Boston  Port  Bill  arrived  at  New  York.  . 

May  15  Committee  of  correspondence  first  public  body  to  suggest  a 
Continental  Congress.     Letter  of  Sears  and  McDougall. 

May  16  A  new  committee  of  correspondence  of  fifty-one  members  ap- 
pointed in  a  meeting  at  the  exchange.  Isaac  Low  named  chair- 
man.    People  approved  committee  3  days  later. 

May  17     Paul  Revere  reached  New  York  City  en  route  to  southern 

colonies. 
May  17     Last    public   commencement   of   King's    College   in   Trinity 

Church. 
May  17     Town  of  Providence,  R.  L,  urged  a  general  congress. 


256  THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

May  18     "Surely  Great  Britain  can  never  mean  to  drive  us  to  .   .  . 
an  eternal  separation"  wrote  John  Thurman  jr. 

May  19     Gouverneur  Morris  feared  "the  dominion  of  a  riotous  mob" 
and  asked  "all  men  to  seek  for  reunion  with  the  parent  state." 

May  23  Committee  of  51  sent  letter  to  Boston  by  Paul  Revere  and 
asked  for  a  "congress  of  the  colonies." 

May  30     Boston  replied  that  "a  general  congress"  was  "indispensible." 

May  30  New  York  committee  asked  counties  to  appoint  committees 
of  correspondence. 

June  1     Boston  Port  Bill  became  effective. 

June  11     Governor  Tryon's  famous  report  on  province  made. 

June  15  Mob  carried  effigies  of  Lord  North  and  others  through  streets 
and  burned  them  before  Coffee  House. 

June  23  Holt  discarded  the  king's  arms  as  headpiece  of  his  paper  and 
substituted  a  snake  cut  in  pieces  with  the  motto  "Unite  or  Die." 

June  24  Committee  of  correspondence  of  Assembly  approved  of  "a 
general  congress"  but  had  no  authority  ^o  act. 

June  27  Committee  of  51  discussed  "the  most  eligible  mode  of  ap- 
pointing deputies"  to  the  general  congress. 

June  29  Committee  of  51  voted  to  nominate  five  deputies  to  Congress 
to  be  approved  by  the  committee  of  mechanics  and  by  freeholders 
and  freemen.     Controversy  over  deputies  for  several  days. 

July  4     Public  gathering  in  the  Fields  denounced  Boston  Port  Bill; 
urged  nonimportation  until  the  bill  was  repealed;  instructed  dele- 
.     gates  to  Congress  to  favor  nonimportation  agreement;  and  ordered 
a  subscription  for  the  Boston  poor. 

July  11     Sir  William  Johnson  died  at  Johnstown. 

July  28  Philip  Livingston,  Isaac  Low,  John  Jay,  John  Alsop  and 
James  Duane  were  "unanimously  elected  delegates  to  Congress  " 
from  New  York  City. 

August  20  Massachusetts  delegates  to  Congress  welcomed  to  New 
York  City. 

September  1  New  York  deputies  set  out  for  Philadelphia  cheered  by 
the  people. 

September  5  First  Continental  Congress  met  at  Philadelphia.  John 
Jay  and  James  Duane  put  on  committee  to  prepare  a  declaration 
of  rights  and  grievances.  Congress  drew  up  an  association  pro- 
hibiting imports  from  Great  Britian  after  December  1,  1774. 

September  7  Merchants  resolved  to  prevent  "engrosers"  and  pro- 
fiteers from  enhancing  prices  and  threatened  to  boycott  any  such 
person. 


CHRONOLOGY  257 

September  8  William  Smith  wrote  in  his  diary  that  the  first  bloodshed 
"would  light  up  a  civil  war." 

September  14  John  Thurman  said  every  American  could  handle  a 
rifle. 

October  20  Eight  New  York  delegates  at  Philadelphia  sign  the  asso- 
ciation. 

November  14  Distillers  resolved  to  use  no  molasses  or  syrups  from 
British  West  India  Islands. 

November  15     Committee  of  60  proposed  to  enforce  the  association. 

November  22     Committee  of  60  elected  to  succeed  Committee  of  51. 

December  27  "The  Mohawks"  warned  Andrew  Elliot,  collector  of 
the  port,  not  to  send  out  of  the  province  firearms  recently  im- 
ported. 

1775 

January  20     Lord  Chatham  proposed  to   recall   British  troops  from 
Boston. 

January  26  By  a  vote  of  11  to  10  the  Assembly  refused  to  consider 
the  proceedings  of  the  Continental  Congress. 

January  30  Committee  of  60  named  a  subcommittee  to  examine  all 
vessels. 

February  9  A  Tory  defined  as  "a  thing  whose  head  is  in  England,  and 
its  body  in  America,  and  its  neck  ought  to  be  stretched." 

February  17  By  vote  of  15  to  9  Assembly  refused  to  thank  the  eight 
New  York  delegates  to  Continental  Congress. 

February  21  By  vote  of  15  to  10  Assembly  refused  to  thank  merchants 
and  people  of  New  York  City  for  their  nonimportation  activities. 

February  23  Motion  in  Assembly  to  appoint  delegates  to  a  new  Gen- 
eral Congress  lost  by  17  to  9. 

February  27  Committee  of  60  suggested  the  election  of  deputies  to 
the  Second  Contitnental  Congress. 

February  27  People  urged  neither  to  purchase  nor  to  use  tea  or  other 
goods  from  England. 

March  6  A  public  meeting  at  the  Liberty  Pole  asked  the  Committee 
of  60  to  nominate  11  deputies  to  meet  others  from  the  counties 
to  choose  delegates  to  the  next  Continental  Congress.  Two  Tories 
were  harshly  treated. 

March  15  Delegates  elected  to  Provincial  Congress  from  New  York 
City. 

March  22  Burke  declared  that  the  Americans  through  their  heredity, 
education,  manners,  religious  principles,  forms  of  government  and 
distance  from  Great  Bi-itain  had  been  so  imbued  with  liberty  that 
they  would  under  no  circumstances  yield  to  force. 


258  THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

March  25  The  Assembly  in  an  address  to  the  king  said  that  Americans 
were  matured  and  felt  entitled  to  their  rights;  that  no  taxes  should 
be  imposed  on  them  without  their  consent;  that  the  acts  of  parlia- 
ment were  destructive  of  their  rights;  that  duties  on  British 
imports  were  oppressive;  that  the  prohibition  of  paper  money  in- 
jured commerce;  and  that  the  Boston  Port  Bill  was  "a  dangerous 
precedent." 

April     1     Last  Militia  Act  passed  by  Assembly. 

April    3     Colonial  Assembly  held  its  last  session. 

April  13     Rivington  hung  in  effigy  as  a  Tory. 

April  19     Lexington  skirmish. 

April  20  Provincial  Convention  chose  twelve  delegates  to  the  Con- 
tinental Congress  —  Duane,  Alsop,  Jay,  Simon  Boerum,  Philip 
Livingston,  Floyd,  Wisner,  Schuyler,  George  Clinton,  Lewis  Mor- 
ris, Francis  Lewis  and  Robert  R.  Livingston. 

April  23  News  of  Lexington  reached  New  York  and  led  people  to 
break  open  the  arsenal  and  seize  600  muskets  and  to  organize  a 
voluntary  corps  to  rule  the  city.  The  customshouse  and  all  public 
stores  were  taken  over.  The  whole  city  was  "one  continued  scene 
of  riot,  tumult  and  confusion." 

April  26  Committee  of  60  asked  that  the  people  choose  a  new  Com- 
mittee of  100  and  that  a  Provincial  Congress  be  summoned  at  once 
to  meet  May  22d. 

April  29     A  general  association  written  and  signed. 

May  1  A  "military  association"  of  100  persons  offered  services  to 
preserve  "American  liberty."  Committee  of  100  recommended 
every  man  to  perfect  himself  in  military  discipline  and  to  procure 
weapons. 

May    5     Committee  of  100  wrote  London  about  "American  wrongs." 

May    6     John  Hancock  in  New  York. 

May    8     Seven  New  York  delegates  left  for  Philadelphia. 

May     9     All  persons  ordered  to  report  arms  to  Committee  of  100. 

May  10  Fort  Ticonderoga  surprised  and  fortress  with  38  prisoners 
and  120  cannon  taken  by  Ethan  Allen  and  Benedict  Arnold  with 
eighty  men. 

May  10  Second  Continental  Congress  met  in  Philadelphia.  In  New 
York  City  Dr  Myles  Cooper  fled  from  a  mob,  which  then  attacked 
Rivington. 

May  12     Crown  Point  and  military  stores  captured  by  Seth  Warner. 

May  15     Burke  brought  case  of  New  York  before  Commons. 

May  16  War  companies  of  militia  took  over  night  watch  of  metrop- 
olis. 


CHRONOLOGY  259 

May  16     Benedict  Arnold  seized  St  Johns. 

May  22     First  Provincial  Congress  met  in  New  York  City. 

May  25  Continental  Congress  ordered  province  of  New  York  fortified 
and  that  militia  be  trained. 

May  29  Committee  of  100  asked  people  to  save  tent  cloth  for  public 
service.     Provincial  Congress  reported  lack  of  powder  and  arms. 

May  31     Provincial  Congress  called  on  colonists  to  arm. 

June  3  Provincial  Congress  asked  that  British  troops  be  permitted  to 
embark  unmolested. 

June  4  Only  one  house  in  New  York  City  illuminated  on  king's  birth- 
day. 

June  6  Colonel  Marinus  Willett  defeated  plan  to  take  arms  from  New 
York  City. 

June    7     Provincial  Congress  denounced  illegal  riots. 

June    9     Provincial  Congress  offered  bounty  on  home-made  powder. 

June  13     Importation  of  powder  permitted. 

June  14     Tory  arrested  for  recruiting  for  king's  army. 

June  15     Washington  chosen  head  of  American  forces. 

June  15     Inoculation  for  smallpox  forbidden. 

June  19  Philip  Schuyler  elected  major  general  by  Continental 
Congress. 

June  22     Richard  Montgomery  made  brigadier  general  by  Congress. 

June  20     News  of  Bunker  Hill  reached  New  York. 

June  25  Washington  and  Governor  Tryon  given  separate  official  re- 
ceptions in  New  York  City. 

June  25  General  Schuyler  placed  in  command  of  "New  York  depart- 
ment." 

June  26     Provincial  Congress  presented  address  to  Washington. 

June  27     Provincial  Congress  issued  orders  for  raising  troops. 

July  4  Provincial  Congress  authorized  Ethan  Allen  and  Seth  Warner 
to  recruit  500  "Green  Mountain  Boys." 

July  5  Provincial  Congress  forbade  common  council  of  New  York 
City  to  send  address  to  Governor  Tryon. 

July  6  Broadside  setting  forth  "the  causes  and  necessity  for  taking 
up  arms"  printed  in  New  York. 

July  12  New  York  reported  that  3000  Continental  troops  had  been 
raised,  but  that  there  was  no  powder  for  them. 

July  20  Ethan  Allen  promised  to  do  his  best  to  reconcile  differences 
between  the  New  Hampshire  Grants  and  New  York. 

July  21     Franklin  proposed  an  American  confederation. 

July  26     Ebenezer  Hazard  chosen  postmaster  of  New  York  City. 

July  27     Provincial  Congress  appointed  a  military  committee  of  five. 


260  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

August  4  Alexander  McDougall  approved  of  as  colonel  of  first 
regiment;  Myndert  Roseboom  of  second;  James  Clinton  of 
third;  and  James  Holmes  of  fourth.     Three  surgeons  also  named. 

August  5     Pay  of  New  York  soldiers  fixed. 

August  8  Provincial  Congress  ordered  local  committees  to  buy  all 
arms  available. 

August  9  Provincial  Congress  ordered  all  political  subdivisions  to  be 
divided  into  ''beats"  of  one  militia  company  each. 

August  14     Provisions  made  for  recruiting  minutemen. 

August  19     Export  of  all  livestock  and  poultry  forbidden. 

August  21  Continental  army  under  General  Montgomery  arrived  at 
Fort  Ticonderoga. 

August  22     Militia  bill  passed. 

August  23  Skirmish  between  British  warship  and  militia  removing 
ordnance  from  Battery.     People  left  the  city. 

August  29     Attack  on  New  York  City  by  British  man-of-war. 

September  2     Augustus  Van  Cortlandt  asked  to  protect  records. 

September  2  General  Schuyler  from  Ticonderoga  moved  toward 
Canada  but,  owing  to  illness,  yielded  command  to  General 
Montgomery. 

September  7     Quakers  required  to  give  list  of  males  between  16  and  60. 

October  3     A  naval  committee  appointed. 

October  6  Continental  Congress  ordered  all  dangerous  Loyalists  ar- 
rested. 

October  10  Since  for  the  "sake  of  liberty"  officers  should  be  elected 
for  short  terms,  the  Provincial  Congress  voted  to  dissolve  Novem- 
ber 14th. 

October  17  Plans  formulated  to  preserve  sulphur  and  to  encourage 
linen  making. 

October  25  Committee  named  to  protect  women  and  children  in  New 
York  City. 

October  31     Committee  appointed  to  employ  the  poor. 

November  10  New  York  society  for  employing  the  industrious  poor 
organized. 

November  13     Montreal  captured  by  Montgomery. 

November  15  New  York  City  reported  stagnated  and  half  deserted 
for  fear  of  bombardment. 

November  23  Band  of  seventy-five  "banditli"  from  Connecticut 
destroyed  Rivington's  printing  press. 

December    6     Governor  Tryon  put  public  records  on  warship. 

December  15     Committee  of  100  adopted  rules  for  the  night  watch. 

December  31     General  Montgomery  killed  before  Quebec. 


CHRONOLOGY  261 

1776 

January  1     Governor  Tryon  retired  to  a  warship  in  New  York  harbor. 

January  9     Thomas  Paine  published  Common  Sense. 

January  9     Continental  Congress  asked  New  York  to  defend  entrances 

to  harbor. 
January  17     Essays    on    manufacture    of    saltpeter   and    powder    dis- 
tributed. 
January  20     General  Schuyler  forced  Sir  John  Johnson  to  disarm  and 

give  his  parole. 
February  1     Philip  Livingston,  John  Alsop,  John  Jay  and  Alexander 

McDougall  elected  to  represent  New  York  City  in  "the  next  gen- 
eral Assembly." 
February  1     Factory  established  to  employ  poor  in  spinning  flax  and 

weaving  linen. 
February  2     Committee  of  100  asked  that  Committee  of  50  be  chosen. 
February  4     General  Lee  with  300  men  and  Sir  Henry  Clinton  reached 

New  York  City  and  caused  "greatest  confusion." 
February  7     Lord  Stirling  arrived  with  1000  men  from  the  Jerseys. 
February  8     Neighboring  counties  asked  to  care  for  the  refugees  from 

the  metropolis. 
February  11     Royal  military  stores  taken  from  Fort  George  without 

opposition. 
March  14     Continental   Congress   ordered  8000  men  to  defend  New 

York  City. 
March  21     Washington  sent  six  regiments  from  Boston  to  New  York 

City. 
March  24     Lead  from  windows  used  for  bullets. 
March  30     Call  for  makers  of  muskets  issued. 
April   1     Reported  that  8000  men  were  under  arms  in  New  York. 
April  4     Committee  of  50  asked  to  prepare  barracks  for  12,000  men. 
April  12     New  York  reported  "deserted  by  its  old  inhabitants,  and 

filled  with  soldiers." 
April  13     Washington   arrived  from   Boston   with   main   part   of   his 

army. 
April   16     A   "poll"    opened   in   New   York   City   to   elect  twenty-one ' 

members  to  Provincial  Congress. 
April  17     Mrs  Washington  arrived  in  New  York  City  from  Boston. 
April  17     Communication  with  British  warships  cut  off. 
April  29     Washington  reported  that  New  York  City  was  well  fortified. 
May  15     Continental  Congress  recommended  to  colonies  to  adopt  such 

governments  as  would  meet  their  needs  and  welfare. 
May  17     Day  of  fasting  and  prayer. 


262  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

May  18  Captain  Paul  Jones  arrived  in  New  York  City  from  his  first 
cruise. 

May  21     Washington  left  New  York  City  for  Philadelphia. 

May  24     Minutes  of  common  council  of  New  York  City  ended. 

May  27     New  York  virtually  declared  independence. 

May  29     General   committee  of  mechanics  demanded  independence. 

May  31  Provincial  Congress  called  election  of  a  new  Congress  to 
consider  the  necessity  of  a  new  government. 

June  4     King's  College  used  for  a  hospital. 

June  4     Washington  returned  to  New  York  City  from  Philadelphia. 

June  7  New  York  City  committee  called  for  election  of  Harlem, 
Kingsbridge,  White  Plains,  Peekskill,  Highlands,  Fort  Lee  and 
Long  Island  delegates  to  a  Provincial  Congress  to  decide  on  inde- 
pendence. 

June  11  Tories  in  New  York  City  stripped,  ridden  on  rails  and  put 
in  jail. 

June  11  Provincial  Congress  told  delegates  in  Continental  Congress 
that  they  were  not  authorized  to  vote  on  the  question  of  inde- 
pendence. 

June  14  Mechanics  union  insisted  that  the  people  should  be  per- 
mitted to  determine  the  question  of  a  new  government. 

June  14  Continental  Congress  ordered  New  York  to  detect  and  re- 
strain all  internal  enemies. 

June  15  Provincial  Congress  appointed  a  "committee  to  detect  con- 
spiracies." 

June   18     Americans  evacuated  Canada  to  enemy. 

June  21  "Hickey  plot"  against  lives  of  Washington,  Putnam  and 
others  discovered  and  crushed.  One  of  Washington's  body  guard 
hanged. 

June  22     Arrest  of  Tory,  Major  David  Mathews. 

June  25     General  Howe  arrived  at  Sandy  Hook  with  his  forces. 

June  30     Provincial  Congress  adjourned  to  White  Plains. 

July  2  Delegates  of  all  colonies  except  New  York  voted  for  inde- 
pendence.    New  York  delegates  asked  for  instructions. 

July  2    Military  headquarters  at  New  York  City  favored  independence. 

July  2     General  Howe  landed  troops  at  Staten  Island. 

July  4     Declaration  of  Independence  adopted  by  Continental  Congress. 

July  7     Northern  army  fell  back  from  Crown  Point  to  Ticonderoga. 

July  9     Provincial  Congress  ratified  Declaration  of  Independence. 

July  9  Declaration  of  Independence  proclaimed  to  troops  in  New 
York  City  by  order  of  Washington, 


Chronology  263 

July  10     Voted,  "That  the  style  or  title  of  this  House  be  changed 

from   that   of   "the   Provincial    Congress   of   the    Colony    of   New 

York'  to  that  of   'the   Convention  of  the  Representatives  of  the 

State  of  New  York.'  " 

July  11     Declaration  of  Independence  read  in  White  Plains. 

July  12     Lord  Howe  landed  9000  British  soldiers  on  Staten  Island. 

July    18     Declaration   of   Independence   read   in   New   York   Citv   bv 

order  of  committee. 
July  19     Declaration   of  Independence  read  in  Albany  by  order  of 

committee. 
August  1     Sir  Henry  Clinton  arrived  at  New  York  from  Charleston, 

S.  C. 
August  20     General  Sullivan  succeeded  General  Greene  in  command 

of  Americans  on  Long  Island. 
August  22     General  Howe  landed  15,000  men  and  forty  guns  at  Grave- 
send,  L.  I. 
August  22-23  Flatbush,  L.  L,  skirmish. 
August  26     Valley  Grove,  L.  I.,  skirmish. 

August  27     Battle  of  Long  Island  (Bushwick  or  Brooklyn).     Generals 
Sullivan   and   Stirling  taken   prisoners   and   Americans   defeated. 
August  28     Jamaica  (Brookland),  L.  I.,  skirmish. 
August  30     Washington    withdrew    Americans   from   Long   Island   to 

New  York  City. 
August  30     General    Nathaniel    Woodhull    wounded   and   taken    pris- 
oner.    He  died  a  few  days  afterward. 
September  11     Peace  conference  held  on  Staten' Island  between  Lord 

Howe  and  committee  of  Congress. 
September  15     New  York  City  occupied  by  British. 
September  16     Battle  of  Harlem  Heights;  British  repulsed. 
September  21     Trinity  church  and  492  buildings  destroyed  by  fire. 
September  22     Nathan  Hale  executed  as  a  spy. 
September  24     Montressor's  Island,   skirmish. 
October  11     Naval  battle  of  Valcour  Island  in  Lake  Champlain. 
October  12     Harlem  Heights    (Throg's  Neck),  skirmish. 
October  13     Naval    engagement    on    Lake    Champlain.      Arnold    de- 
feated with  loss  of  ninety  men. 
October  14     Crown  Point,  attacked. 
October  18     British  land  at  Pell's  Point. 
October  21     Mamaroneck,  skirmish. 

October  23     Manhattan  Island  abandoned  by  Americans. 
October  28     Battle  of  White  Plains.     Americans  driven  back. 
November  12     Washington  crossed  the  Hudson  to  New  Jersey. 


264  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

November  16  Fort  Washington  captured  by  British;  2000  prisoners. 

November  16  Fort  Tryon,  captured  by  British. 

November  16  Fort  George,  captured  by  British. 

November  16  Harlem  Cove  (Manhattanville),  skirmish. 

November  16  Cock-Hill   Fort,   captured  by   British. 

November  16  Washington  left  New  York  for  New  Jersey. 

November  18  General    Cornwallis    crossed    Hudson    to    New    Jersey 

with  6000  men. 

November  30  Howe  issued  a  proclamation  of  pardon  at  New  York. 

1777 

January  17     Kings  Bridge,  skirmish. 

January  25     West  Farms,  skirmish. 

March  16     Ward's  house  (Westchester  county),  skirmish. 

March  20  General  Charles  Lee  wrote  his  "plan"  for  destroying  "Con- 
gress government." 

March  22     British  landed  at  Peekskill  to  destroy  military  stores. 

April  20     First  State  Constitution  was  voted  by  the  Convention. 

April  20     First  State  Constitution  proclaimed  at  Kingston. 

May  3     A  "temporary  form  of  government"  created. 

May  6  General  Burgoyne  landed  at  Quebec  to  command  British 
forces  in  Canada. 

May  23  Colonel  Meigs  captured  ninety  prisoners,  a  gunship,  and 
military  stores  at  Sag  Harbor,  L.  I. 

June  1     Burgoyne  invaded  northern  New  York. 

June  16     Crown  Point  evacuated. 

June  30     British  returned  to  Staten  Island  from  New  Jersey. 

July  1  First  session  of  the  State  Legislature  at  Kingston  called  to 
meet  but  delayed  election  returns  made  that  impossible. 

July  3  John  Jay  appointed  Chief  Justice  and  Robert  R.  Livingston 
Chancellor. 

July  6     Ticonderoga  evacuated  by  General  St  Clair  and  3000  men. 

July  7     Skenesborough  seized. 

July  8  Battle  of  Fort  Ann.  Americans  under  Livingston  driven  out, 
losing  128  cannon  and  stores. 

July  9     George   Clinton   declared  elected   first   State   Governor.  • 

July  12     General  St  Clair  arrived  at  Fort  Edward. 

July  27     Jane  McCrea  murdered. 

July  30     Burgoyne  reached  Fort  Edward. 

July  30     Governor  Clinton  took  oath  of  office. 

August  4-22  Fort  Stanwix  (Fort  Schuyler).  Barry  St  Leger  at- 
tacked fort  under  Colonels  Gansevoort  and  Willett. 


CHRONOLOGY  265 

August  6  Battle  of  Oriskany.  General  Herkimer  checked  and 
mortally  wounded  in  an  ambuscade  of  Tories  and  Indians. 

August  12  General  Benedict  Arnold  marched  to  relief  of  Fort 
Stanwix. 

A^ugust  16  Battle  of  Bennington.  Colonel  Baum  defeated  by  General 
John  Stark  at  Walloomsac. 

August  19     General  Schuyler  superseded  by  General  Gates. 

August  21-22  Staten  Island  raided  by  General  Sullivan  and  Colonel 
Ogden  taking  stores  and  130  prisoners. 

August  23     Sir  William  Howe  issued  a  proclamation  of  pardon. 

September  10     State  Legislature  met  at  Kingston. 

September  18  Colonel  Brown  attacked  British  at  Ticonderoga  and 
on  Lake  George. 

September  19     First  battle  of  Saratoga. 

September  20     Burgoyne  fortified  his  camp. 

September  23     Battle  of  Diamond  Island. 

October  3  General  Clinton  ascended  Hudson  to  cooperate  with  Bur- 
goyne. 

October  3     Five  delegates  chosen  to  Continental  Congress. 

October  6  Forts  Clinton  and  Montgomery  captured  by  Sir  Henry 
Clinton. 

October  7     Second  battle  of  Saratoga;  British  defeated. 

October  13     Esopus  attacked. 

October  13     Kingston  burned. 

October  17     Saratoga;  surrender  of  General  Burgoyne. 

1778 

February  5     Commissioners  for  detecting  and  defeating  conspiracies. 

February  6     New  York  approved  Articles  of  Confederation. 

March  14     Embargo  on  flour,  meal  and  grain. 

March  27     Act  to  regulate  elections. 

April  1     Act  to  appoint  a  State  Treasurer. 

April  3     Wages  and  prices  regulated  by  law. 

May  24     Sir  Henry  Clinton  took  command  of  British  army  in  America. 

June  1     Cobleskill  massacre  by  Brant. 

July  15  Washington  at  Haverstraw,  White  Plains,  Fishkill,  Fred- 
ericksburg. 

July   18     Andruston  massacre. 

July  21-31     Washington  with  army   at  White  Plains. 

August  31  Indian  Field  (Westchester  county).  Indians  engaged 
with  patriot  forces. 


266  THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

September  16     Westchester,  skirmish. 

September  28     Tappan,  skirmish. 

November  10     Cherry  Valley  massacre  by  Tories  and  Indians. 

December  3     Washington  left  New  York  for  New  Jersey. 

December  10     John  Jay  elected  president  of  Continental   Congress. 

December  25     Young's  house,  skirmish. 

1779 

March  13     1000  men  raised  for  frontier  defence. 

April  20     Expedition  against  Onondagas. 

June  1     Stony  Point,  Verplanck's  Point  (Fayette). 

June  8  Washington  at  West  Point,  New  Windsor,  Stony  Point,  Peeks- 
kill. 

July  2     Poundridge,  skirmish. 

July  2     Bedford,  skirmish. 

July  16     Stony  Point  captured  by  General  Wayne. 

July  19     West  Point  fortified  by  Americans. 

July  22     Minisink  attacked  by  Indians  under  Brant. 

July  31     General  Sullivan  started  his  invasion  of  Indian  country. 

August  5     Morrisania,  skirmish. 

August  22     Military  expedition  against  Indians  by  Colonel  Brodhead. 

August  29    Newtown  (Elmira) ; 'Tories  and  Indians  defeated. 

August  30     Tarrytown,  skirmish. 

September  5     Lloyd's  Neck,  skirmish. 

September  10     Indian  village  of  Canandaigua  burnt. 

September  14  Geneseo,  farthest  point  reached  by  Sullivan's  expedi- 
tion. 

September  15  General  Sullivan  began  his  return  from  Indian 
country. 

September  23     State  clothier  appointed  by  law. 

September  28     John  Jay  chosen  as  commissioner  to  Spain. 

October  15     Act  to  prevent  robberies  in  the  State. 

October  22     Law  of  forfeiture  of  estates  of  Loyalists. 

October  22     Commissary  of  prisoners  appointed. 

October  23     Temporary   government  of  southern  New  York  created. 

October  23     Commissioners  named  to  pacify  Indians. 

November  1     Washington  left  New  York  for  New  Jersey. 

November  7     Jeflferds  Neck,  skirmish. 

November  21  3000  British  troops  departed  from  New  York  for 
Georgia. 

December  26     General  Clinton  with  8500  men  sailed  for  Savannah. 


CHRONOLOGY  267 

1780 

January   18     Eastchester.  skirmish. 

r'ehruary  3     Young's  house  (Four  Corners),  skirmish. 

February  14     Courts  of  common  pleas  revived. 

February  19     New  York  ceded  her  right  to  western  lands  to  United 

States.     Transfer  made  March  1st. 
February  21     Act  to  regulate  inns  and  taverns. 
February  26     Act  to  prevent  profiteering. 
March  10     Sale  of  forfeited  estates  authorized. 
March  13     An  act  to  repair  public  highways. 
April  3     Riemensnyder's  Bush  destroyed  by  Indians. 
April  5     Harpersfield  sacked. 
May  22     Caughnawaga  attacked. 
May  22     Johnstown  burned  by  Tories. 
June  23     Act  to  erect  a  fortress  at  Schenectady. 
June  23     Act  to  pay  for  care  of  poor  in  five  counties. 
June  24     Act  to  prevent  monopoly  in  cattle. 
June  27     Washington  at  Ramapo. 
June  30     Act  to  grant  exclusive  right  to  make  and  sell  "blubber  and 

oyl." 
July  1     Removal  of  families  of  Loyalists. 
July  30     Washington  in  Highlands,  Peekskill. 
August  2     Mohawk    valley    (Fort    Plain)    ravaged    by    Indians    and 

Tories. 
August  3     General    Benedict   Arnold    took    command    of    fortress    at 

West  Point. 
September  18     Washington  at  Peekskill,  Fishkill,  Highlands,  Tappan. 
September  21     Major  Andre  met  General  Arnold. 
September  23     Major  Andre  captured  at  Tarrytown. 
September  26     General  Arnold  fled  to  British  sloop  of  war. 
September  —     Ann  Lee  organized  Shakers  at  New  Lebanon, 
October  2     Major  Andre  after  trial  by  court  martial  hanged  as  spy  at 

Tappan. 
October  —     Americans  raided  Staten  Island. 
October    7     Act  to  expedite  the  payment  of  taxes. 
October  11     Fort  George  taken. 
October  15     Middleburg,  Indian  raid. 
October  17     Schoharie,  Indian  raid. 

October  19     Fort  Keyser  (Palatine  or  Stone  Arabia)  attacked. 
October  21     Battle  of  Klock's  field. 


268  THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

October  29     German  Flats,  Indian  raid. 

November  21     Coram  (Fort  George),  L.  I.,  attacked. 

November  23     Fort  St  George  (Smith  Point),  L.  I.,  attacked. 

December  — -  Indians  made  attacks  in  Hudson  valley  and  in  Cham- 
plain  country. 

December  6  Washington  at  New  Windsor,  West  Point,  Dobbs  Ferry, 
Kingsbridge. 

1781 

January  22     Morrisania,  skirmish. 

March  26     Act  to  restrain  peddlars  and  hawkers. 

March  30     Punishment  for  adherence  to  the  king. 

March  31     Sale  of  forfeited  estates  facilitated. 

May  14     Croton  River,  skirmish. 

June  27     Embargo  laws  repealed. 

July    1     Repeal  of  laws  making  paper  money  legal  tender. 

July     3     Kingsbridge,  skirmish. 

July    6     French  army  joined  Washington  on  Hudson. 

July     9     Currytown  destroyed. 

July  10     Battle  of  Sharon  Springs. 

July  15     Tarrytown,  skirmish. 

August  14     Washington  decided  to  transfer  army  from  New  York  to 

Virginia. 
August  22     Warwarsing,  skirmish. 
September  7     Fort  Plain,  Indian  raid. 
October  10     Threadwells  Neck,  skirmish. 
October  20     Mohawk  Valley  invaded  by  Indians. 
October  24     Battle  of  Johnstown.    Last  battle  of  the  Revolution. 
October  30     Jerseyfield     (West    Canada    creek).     Last    skirmish    of 

Revolution  in  New  York. 
November     1     Tax  on  grain  levied  in  Ulster  county. 
November  20     County  treasurers  required  to  make  returns  of  laxes. 

1782 

March  4     Morrisania.       Captain    Honeywell     attacked     De    Lancey's 

Loyalists. 
March  20     Order  for  census  of  white  inhabitants. 
March  31     Washington  at  Newburgh,  West  Point,  Highlands,  Albany, 

Schenectady,  Saratoga. 
April   1-30     Washington's    headquarters    located    at    Newburgh. 
April  11     Incorporation  of  Bank  of  North  America. 
April  13     Act  to  prevent  illicit  trading  with  enemy. 


CHRONOLOGY  269 

April  14     Relief  of  tenants  of  forfeited  lands. 

May  —     Sir  Guy  Carleton  arrived  to  make  terms  of  peace. 

July  12     Abolition  of  entails. 

July  22  Act  to  allow  United  States  to  apportion  state's  share  of  ex- 
pense of  war. 

July  24     Act  to  compel  payment  of  back  taxes. 

August  6 — 1783,  August  19  Washington  at  Newburgh,  Verplanck's 
Point,  Dobbs  Ferry,  Orangetown,  Poughkeepsie,  Albany. 

1783 

January  15     Lord  Stirling  died  at  Albany. 

February  14     Private  lotteries  forbidden. 

March  4     Act  to  encourage  destruction  of  wolves  and  panthers. 

March  24  Offices  of  state  agent  and  commissioners  of  prisoners 
abolished. 

March  25     Commissioners  of  Indian  affairs  appointed. 

March  27  Commissioner  for  detecting  and  defeating  conspiracies  dis- 
charged. 

March  27     Temporary  government  for  New  York  City  provided. 

March  30     Law  of  naturalization  passed. 

May  13     Order  of  Cincinnati  founded  near  Fishkill. 

September  3     Ann  Lee,  founder  of  Shakers  in  New  York,  died. 

September  7     Army  disbanded. 

October  6     First  Protestant  Episcopal  convention  in  New  York. 

November     3     Thomas  Coke  arrived  as  first  Methodist  bishop. 

November  25  British  evacuated  New  York  City;  Washington  en- 
tered. 

November  26     Doctor  Rodgers  began  to  restore  Presbyterian  churches. 

December  4  Doctor  Rodgers  active  on  Long  Island  and  Staten 
Island. 

December  4  Washington  bade  farewell  to  officers  at  Fraunces  Tavern 
in  New  York  City. 

November  18— December  16  Washington  at  West  Point,  Harlem, 
New  York  City. 

1784 

January  14     Congress   ratified  the   definitive   treaty  of   peace. 

May  1     University  of  State  of  New  York  established  by  Legislature. 

1785 

April  19  New  York  State  executed  deed  of  western  lands  to  Federal 
Government. 


270  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

1788 
July  26     New  York  ratitied  Constitution  of  United  States. 

1789 

March  22     Duties  levied  on  imported  goods. 

April  6     Congress  met  in  New  York  City  as  first  national  capital. 
April  30     Washington  took  oath  as  first  President  of  the  Federal  Re- 
public. 
October  22     Fort  Stanwix  treaty  with  Indians. 


SHRINES   OF  THE  REVOLUTIONARY  WAR 

The  sons  and  daughters  of  New  York  have  done  much  to  mark  with 
monument  and  tablet  the  spots  and  buildings  of  historic  significance  in 
the  War  for  Independence,  and  the  burial  places  of  the  men  and  women 
of  prominence  in  that  struggle.  In  this  worthy  work  the  patriotic  and 
historical  societies  and  religious  and  civic  bodies  have  taken  the  lead 
and  deserve  the  thanks  of  the  public  for  their  zeal. 

Much  still  remains  to  be  done  in  saving  sites  and  buildings,  and  in 
erecting  markers  before  the  Empire  State  takes  rank  with  the  common- 
wealths of  New  England  and  the  South  in  the  preservation  of  its  noble 
past. 

It  is  hoped  that  during  the  Sesquicentennial  every  community  will 
do  something  to  complete  the  work  so  well  started.  The  State  now 
encourages  local  efforts  by  financial  support.  The  following  list  is 
incomplete  and  many  of  the  places  mentioned  are  unmarked.  Our 
citizens  should  be  urged  to  visit  these  spots  and  thus  inform  them- 
selves more  fully  about  our  history. 

Albany  county 
Albany 

Schuyler  mansion 

Colonel  Marinus  Willet  Boulder  and  Tablet 
General  Philip  Schuyler  Monument 

Links  of  old  chain  that  spanned  Hudson  river  during  Revolu- 
tion in  State  Education  Building 
Picture  of  Governor  George  Clinton  in  Capitol 
Cohoes 

Van  Schaick  mansion  on  Van  Schaick's  island,  headquarters 
of  General  Schuyler  during  Burgoyne  campaign 

Broome  county 
Endicott 

Monument  commemorating  union  of  forces  of  General  Sulli- 
van under  Clinton  and  Poor,  August  1779 

Chautauqua  county 
Jamestown 

Tablet  marking  station  of  British  regiment,  1782 
Sherman 

Monument  to  wars  of  1776,  1812  and  1861—65,  erected  1913 
[271]      • 


272  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

Chemung  county 
Ashland 

Granite  shaft  to  Major  General  John  Sullivan  (near  Lowman) 
Elmira 

Site  of  Fort  Reed,  important  fort  on  march  of  the  Sullivan 

expedition  in  1779 
Newtown    Battle    Reservation     (extends    into    town    of    Ash- 
land) 

Millport 

Memorial  in  honor  of  Major  General  John  Sullivan.  On  a 
pinnacle  near  this  site  the  Movable  Lodge  of  Free  Masons 
connected  with  the  army  of  Major  General  John  Sullivan 
of  New  Hampshire,  held  a  communication  under  a  large 
oak  tree,  while  on  a  military  expedition  against  the  Six 
Nations  of  Indians,  in  the  year  1779,  after  which  event 
this  lodge  derived  its  name 

Chenango  county 
New  Berlin 

Boulder  in  memory  of  the  three  scouts  killed  on  the  estate 
of  Percefer  Carr  by  Brant's  Indians,  September  1778 
(erected  by  Colonel  Israel  Angell  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.,  1914) 

Sherburne 

Grave  of  Colonel  William  Smith,  aide-de-camp  to  Generals 
Sullivan  and  Washington 

Smyrna 

Monument  to  Colonel  William  Smith 

Clinton  county 

Valcour  island 

The  Battle  of  Valcour  was  fought  off  the  shore  of  Valcour 
Island  on  October  11,  1776.  ,  Arnold's  flagship,  "The  Royal 
Savage,"  was  sunk  and  the  wreck  at  the  bottom  of  the  lake 
is  still  visible  through  the  clear  water 

Delaware  county 
Franklin 

Monument  in  memory  of  Revolutionary  soldiers 

Sidney 

Brant-Herkimer  meeting  place 


HISTORIC  SITES  273 

Dutchess  county 
Amenia 

Bump  house  where  Lafayette  and  other  officers  dined 

Old  log  prison  of  Revolutionary  days 
Beacon 

Shaft  erected  on  Mount  Beacon  to  commemorate  the  burning 
of  beacon  fires  in  Revolutionary  times  (Melzingah  Chap- 
ter, D.  A.  R.) 

Boulder  and  flag  pole  were  placed  on  the  Old  Post  Road 
to  call  attention  to  the  redoubts  erected  in  Revolutionary 
times  to  repel  the  British  who  were  expected  to  march  up 
that  road  (Melzingah  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 

Tablet  on  the  Old  Star  Mill,  rebuilt  by  Washington's  soldiers 
after     being    destroyed    by    fire.       (Melzingah    Chapter, 
D.  A.  R.) 
Fishkill 

During  the  Revolution  the  old  Dutch  Reformed  church,  built 
in  1731,  was  used  as  a  prison  by  the  continental  officers. 
It  is  from  this  prison  that  Harvey  Birch,  Cooper's  "Spy," 
escaped.     Used  in  1776  by  Provincial  Congress 

The  Verplanck  House,  where  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati 
was  founded 

The  Wharton  House,  headquarters  of  officers  in  the  Revolu- 
tion, is  still  to  be  seen  a  little  south  of  the  village 

Trinity  Church  was  used  in  1776  for  sessions  of  New  York 
Provincial   Convention  and  later  as  a  hospital 
Poughkeepsie 

Bronze  tablet  erected  on  walls  of  the  Governor  George  Clm- 
ton  House   (Mahwenawasigh  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 

Bronze  tablet  to  mark  the  site  of  the  Court  House  in  which 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  was  ratified  on  July 
26,  1788    (Mahwenawasigh  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 

Essex  county 

Crown  Point 

Crown  Point  Reservation  —  Ruins  of  Fort 
Old  Fort  St  Frederick  • 

Ticonderoga 

Fort  Ticonderoga,  erected  by  the  French  in  1755  and  called 
Fort  Carillon.  Captured  by  the  British  in  1759  and  taken 
from  them  in  1775  by  Ethan  Allen.  The  Americans  evacu- 
ated the  fort  in  1777  and  it  was  held  by  the  English  until 
Burgoyne's  surrender,  when  it  was  dismantled 


274  THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

Tablet  commemorating  capture  by  Ethan  Allen 

Old  Fort  Ticonderoga  (Historical  Museum) 

Monument  in  memory  of  Isaac  Rice,  Scout  of  the  Revo- 
lution. 

Replica  of  John  Hancock  House  (Headquarters  of  New  York 
State  Historical  Association) 

Marker  on  South  Main  st.,  near  Battery  St.,  is  inscribed: 
"From  this  point  south  this  street  follows  the  route  of  the 
Indian  Carry  between  the  lakes,  and  of  Montcalm's  Mili- 
tary Road  traversed  by  Washington  and  Franklin  during 
the  Revolution"  (Ticonderoga  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 

Fulton  county 
Johnstown 

The  Sir  William  Johnson  Mansion  and  Blockhouse 
Tomb  of  Sir  William  Johnson 
Courthouse,  built  1772 
Blackhorse  Tavern 
Old  Drum  House 

Boulder  with  bronze  tablet  with  inscription  to  mark  the  site 
of  the  last  battle  of  the  Revolution  (Johnstown  Chapter, 
D.  A.  R.) 

Herkimer  county 
Danube 

Herkimer  Homestead,  including  house,  burying  ground  and 
monument 

Frankfort 

Marker  indicating  the  route  from  General  Herkimer  house  to 
Oriskany  battlefield  (Colonel  Marinus  Willett  Chapter, 
D.  A.  R.) 

Herkimer 

Statue  to  General  Herkimer 
Old  Stone  Church,  1779 

Marker   on   General   Nicholas   Herkimer   route   to   Oriskany 
(General  Nicholas  Herkimer  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Ilion 

Granite  and  bronze  marker  at  the  bivouac  ground  of  General 
Herkimer  and  his  men.  This  is  placed  along  the  old  trail 
from  the  Herkimer  Homestead  to  Oriskany  monument 
(Mohawk  Valley  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 


HISTORIC  SITES  275 

Little  Falls 

Bronze  tablet,  placed  on  Fort  Herkimer  Church  to  mark  the 

site  of  the  old  fort  (Astenrogen  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Monument  at  Shell's  Bush  in  memory  of  John  Christian  Shell, 

his  wife  and  sons,  who,  on  August  6,  1781,  defended  the 

Block  House  from  an  Indian  attack   (Astenrogen  Chapter, 

D.  A.  R.) 
Granite  boulder  and  bronze  tablet  on  the  General  Herkimer 

route  to  Oriskany  (Astenrogen  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 

Warren 

Boulder  in  memory  of  Andruston  massacre,  July  18,  1778 

Jefferson  county 
Fort  Carlton 

On  Carlton  or  Buck's  Island,  near  Cape  Vincent,  captured  in 
1778  by  the  British 

Montgomery  county 
Amsterdam 

Guy  Park  House 

Canajoharie 

Van  Alstyne  House 

Fountain  in  Wagner  square  to  mark  the  northeastern  terminal 
of  the  continental  road  constructed  under  the  supervision 
of  General  Clinton  to  Otsego  lake,  June  17,  1779  (Fort 
Rensselaer  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 

Fonda 

Monument  on  site  of  old  historic  Dutch  Church  of  Caughna- 
waga,  which  was  headquarters  for  Colonel  Herkimer  and 
was  General  Schuyler's  encampment,  January  18,  1777 
(Caughnawaga  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 

Site  of  Liberty  Pole 

Fort  Plain  , 

Boulder  to  Revolutionary  soldiers 

Fort  Plain  (Fort  Rensselaer) 
Nelliston 

Old  Ehle  House 

Palatine 

Colonel  John  Brown  Monument. 


276  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

St  Johnsville 

Site  of  battle  of  Klock's  Field,  1780 

Marker  on  the  General  Herkimer  route  from  his  homestead 

to  Oriskany  battlefield   (Caughnawaga,  Henderson  and  St 

Johnsville  Chapters,  D.  A.  R.) 

New  York  City  (Greater) 
Borough  of  Bronx 

Tablet  to  commemorate  battle  of  Pell's  Point,  Pelham  Park 
Westchester  Creek  Causeway  — "Westchester  Lexington" 
Redoubt    thrown    up    by    continental    troops    urider    General 
Heath,  to  command  the  crossing  of  the  Bronx  river  at  Wil- 
liams-bridge (Woodlawn  Cemetery) 

Borough  of  Kings  (Brooklyn) 

Tablet  on  Smith-Gray  Building,  corner  of  Fulton  st.  and 
Flatbush  av.,  to  mark  the  line  of  defense  in  the  battle  of 
Long  Island  "from  the  Wallabout  to  the  Gowanus" 

Martyrs'  Monument  and  Tomb  erected  in  memory  of  those 
who  perished  on  the  prison  ships  of  the  British  in  Walla- 
bout Bay  during  the  Revolution 

Battle  Pass  Tablets  (2)  serve  to  mark  Valley  Grove,  the 
outer  line  of  defense  in  the  battle  of  Long  Island 

Maryland  Monument,  erected  in  honor  of  "Maryland's  Four 
Hundred" 

Lafayette  Monument 

Boulder  and  marker  at  Shore  road  and  Fort  Hamilton  park- 
way 

The  Altar  of  Liberty  on  Battle  Hill,  erected  to  mark  the  spot 
where  the  opening  engagement  in  the  battle  of  Long  Island 
was  fought 

Tablet  showing  where  General  Nathaniel  Woodhull  died 

Bronze  tablet  on  the  site  of  old  Fort  Stirling  at  Columbia 
Heights  and  Clarke  st.  (Fort  Greene  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 

Borough  of  Manhattan 

Fraunces  Tavern,  Broad  and  Pearl  streets 

Statue  of  Nathan  Hale,  near  City  Hall  (S.  R.) 

Morris-Jumel  Mansion,  160th  street 

Statues  of  Washington 

Statues  of  Franklin 

Marinus  Willett  Tablet,  Broad  and  Beaver  (S.  R.) 

Tablet  marking  landing  of  Washington,  West  street 


HISTORIC  SITES  277 

City  Hall  Tablet 

Kennedy  House  Tablet,   marking  site  where   Declaration   of 

Independence  was  read  to  Washington's  army  on  July  9, 

1776 
Tablet   marking   battle    of    Harlem   Heights    (Knickerbocker 

Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Tablet  marking  site  of  Fort  Independence 
Tablet  marking  action  at  Kip's  Bay,  September  15,   1776 
General  Montgomery  Monument,  St  Paul's  churchyard 
Fort  Washington  Monument  (Fort  Washington  av.,  near  183d 

St.) 

Redoubt  erected  by  American  troops,  October  1776,  directed 
by  Irabert,  a  French  engineer  (Fort  Washington  Park) 

Site  of  headquarters  of  General  Heath  (Century  Home),  near 
bank  of  Harlem  river  at  213th  st. 

Jeffrey's  Hook  (Fort  Washington  Park).  The  place  from 
which  ships  were  sunk  in  the  Hudson  in  an  attempt  to  ob- 
struct the  passage  of  the  Biitish  fleet  in  1776.  Here  Wash- 
ington crossed  to  and  from  Fort  Lee 

Granite  boulder  with  bronze  tablet  to  mark  the  gallant  de- 
fense of  Laurel  Hill  by  Colonel  William  Baxter  on  Novem- 
ber 16,  1776  (Manhattan  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 

Tablet  on  a  granite  pillar  in  City  Hall  Park  near  the  site  of 
the  old  Hall  of  Records,  which  was  used  by  the  British  as  a 
prison  for  American  patriots  during  the  Revolution  (Mary 
Washington  Colonial  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 

Tablet  to  the  memory  of  Margaret  Corbin,  heroine  of  the 
battle  of  Fort  Washington  (Mary  Washington  Colonial 
Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 

Tablet  marking  the  site  of  Whitehall  Ferry  from  which  Wash- 
ington embarked  after  bidding  farewell  to  his  officers  at 
Fraunces  Tavern  (Mary  Washington  Colonial  Chapter, 
D.  A.  R.) 

Tablet  placed  on  Sulzberger  Building  to  honor  Captain 
Nathan  Hale.  This  site  was  where  the  British  Commander 
General,  Sir  William  Howe,  had  his  artillery  grounds;  also 
w^here  Nathan  Hale  was  executed  on  September  22,  1776 
(Mary  Washington  Colonial  Chapter,  D,  A.  R.) 

Washington's  headquarters  on  Washington  Heights 

Military  hut  of  the  Revolution  in  Dyckman  House  Park 

McGown's  Pass  Tavern,  Central  Park 


278  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

Tablet  on  Putnam  Building  to  commemorate  the  meeting  of 
Washington  and  Putnam  at  this  point  on  September  15, 
1776 

Montgomery  tablet  in  St.  Paul's  Chapel,  oldest  church  in 
Manhattan,  on  lower  Broadway 

Tablet  marking  line  of  defense,  September  1776 

Tablet  marking  American  encampment,  1776 

Richmond  Hill  Mansion  tablet 

Liberty  Pole  tablet.  New  York  Post  Office  (Mary  Washing- 
ton Colonial  D.  A.  R.) 

Steuben    Monument,    German    Reform    Church,    68th    street 

Fort  George  Hill*,  192d  street 

Fort  George  Monument  on  Battery 

Tablet  marking  first  line  of  American  intrenchments,  Broad- 
way, between  147th  and  148th  sts. 

Tablet  marking  second  line  of  American  intrenchments, 
Broadway  and  153d  st. 

Tablet  marking  third  line  of  American  intrenchments,  Broad- 
way and  159th  st. 

Tablet  on  wall  of  the  Chapel  of  the  Intercession,  within 
Trinity  Cemetery  East,  records  the  erection  of  redoubts 
and  defenses  in  1776  (Washington  Heights  Chapter, 
D.  A.  R.) 

Site  of  American  encampment  west  side  of  Broadway,  between 
168th  and  169th  sts.    Later  the  Hessians  occupied  the  same 
spot 
Borough  of  Richmond  (Staten  Island) 

Tablet  on  St  Andrews  Church  to  commemorate  the  engage- 
ment fought  between  the  patriots  and  the  British  on  the 
ground  where  this  church  now  stands  (Richmond  County 
Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 

Mersereau  tablet 

Billop  House  (Conciliation  Conference  House) 

Niagara  county 
Fort  Niagara 

At  the  mouth  of  the  Niagara  river 

Oneida  county 
Clinton 

Monument  of  Alexander  Hamilton 


HISTORIC  SITES  279 

Oriskany 

Oriskany    battlefield,    where    the   Americans   under    General 
Nicholas  Herkimer  turned  back  the  British,  Loyalists  and 
Indians.     An  important  battle  in  the  fight  for  the  control 
of  the  Hudson  river 
Oriskany  monument 

Marker  placed  on  or  near  the  spot  where  General  Herkimer 
sat  after  he  was  wounded  and  directed  the  battle.  This 
is  the  last  of  the  fourteen  markers  erected  along  the 
route  taken  by  General  Herkimer  and  his  Mohawk  Valley 
men  on  their  way  to  relieve  Fort  Stanwix.  (Oriskany 
Chapter,  D.  A.  R. ;  Sons  of  Oriskany  assisted.) 
Remsen 

Tomb  of  Baron  Steuben 
Rome 

Fort  Stanwix.     This  fort  was  strongly  built  but  was  found 
untenable  at  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution.     It  was  re- 
built and  for  a  time  called  Fort  Schuyler,  in  honor  of  Gen- 
eral Philip  Schuyler.    The  fort,  under  Colonel  Gansevoort, 
was  besieged  at  the  same  time  that  the  battle  of  Oriskany 
was  being  fought  (Fort  Stanwix  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Tablet  at  Carrying  Place  (Oneida  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Fort  Bull  monument 
Monument  to  General  Peter  Gansevoort 
Steuben 

Monument  to  General  Steuben 
Utica 

Marker  on  site  of  Old  Fort  Schuyler 
Marker  to  General  Herkimer  on  Whiteboro  st. 
Marker  commemorating  visit  of  Lafayette 
Granite  and  bronze  memorials  marking  the  General  Herkimer 
march  through  the   Mohawk  valley   to  the  battlefield   of 
Oriskany.     Plarced  near  the  site  of  the  "Great  Ford  of  the 
Mohawk"  and  on  the  route  which  General  Herkimer  and 
his  army  used  (Oneida  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Whitesboro 

Monument  on  General  Herkimer's  route  to  battle  of  Oriskany 
at  the  bivouac  of  the  advance  guard,  night  before  the  battle 
(Oneida  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 

Ontario  county 
Canandaigua 

Boulder  monument  to  Sullivan's  expedition,  1779 


280  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

Fort  Clinton 

Captured  by  the  British  in   1777  together  with  Fort  Mont- 
gomery, though  the  river  was  barred  by  the  famous  iron 
chain 
Fort  Montgomery 

Captured   by  the  British  in   1777.     The  British  crossed  the 
river  at  King's  Ferry  in  a  morning  fog  and  went  over  the 
Dunderberg  mountains  by  a  road  known  to  British  sym- 
pathizers. 
Goshen 

Monument  commemorating  battle  of  Minisink,  July  20  and 
22,  1779 

Boulder  3   miles  south  of  Goshen  where  beacon  fires  were 
lighted  to  notify  the  local  militia  of  the  approach  of  the 
British  and  to  summon  them  to  the  appointed  rendezvous 
(Minisink  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Highland 

Old  Forge,  where  chain  that  spanned  Hudson  was  forged 
Newburgh 

Temple  Hill  monument  on  site  of  continental  camps, 
1782-83 

Home  of  Jonathan  Hasbrouck  which  was  for  some  time  the 
headquarters  of  Washington.  In  this  house,  1782,  Wash- 
ington refused  for  the  "national  advantage"  the  offer  of  a 
crown.  Here  in  1783  Washington  received  news  of  cessa- 
tion of  hostilities,  and  signal  fires  were  lighted  on  sur- 
rounding peaks 

Tower  of  Victory 

Boulder  marking  the  site  of  Brewster  Forge  at  Moodna,  where 
during  the  Revolution  were  made  a  considerable  portion 
of  the  chains  that  were  used  to  obstruct  the  navigation  of 
the  Hudson  river  at  Fort  Montgomery  and  West  Point 
(Quassaick  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
New  Windsor 

Knox's  Headquarters 

Headquarters    of   Washington    in    1779    and   again   in    1780. 
Here  were  arranged  the  details'  of  the  campaign  of  1781 
ending  with  Yorktown 
Warwick 

Sterling  Lake.  Tablet  marking  Sterling  furnace.  Anchors 
and  steel  were  manufactured  here  during  the  Revolution. 
Part  of  the  chain  that  spanned  the  Hudson  during  the 
Revolution  was  also  made  here. 


HISTORIC.  SITES  281 

Old  Stone  Tavern,  erected  1766,  by  Francis  Baird.     General 
Washington  entertained  here.  Jnly  27,  1782 
West  Point 

Kosciusko  Monument  and  Garden 
Forts  Clinton  and  Putnam 
Links  of  iron  chain 

Grave    of    Margaret    Corhin,    with    marker     (State     Society 
D.  A.  R.) 
Oswego  county 
Mexico 

Spy  Island  — :  monument  to  Silas  Town,  an  American  Revolu- 
tionary spy 
Oswego 

Montcalm  Park 

Boulder  with  tablet  to  mark  the  site  of  Fort  George,  the  sec- 
ond fort  built  at  Oswego  (Fort  Oswego  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Otsego  county 

Cherry  Valley 

Devastated  by  Indian  Massacre  on  November  11,  1778 
Inscription  on  Brant's  Rock  (on  outskirts  of  village),  behind 
which  Brant  was  secreted  when  he  shot  Colonel  Wormwood 
(Cherry  Valley  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Marker  on  spot, where  Colonel  Alden  fell  while  trying  to  re- 
gain the  fort   at  the  time   of  the  Cherry  Valley  massacre 
(Cherry  Valley  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Cooperstown 

Bronze  tablet  to   mark  the  place  where   the    dam  was  built 
during  the  summer  of  1779  by  the  soldiers  under  General 
Clinton  to  enable  them  to  join  the  forces  of  General  Sulli- 
van at  Tioga  (Otsego  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
East  Springfield 

Bronze    marker    commemorating    General    Clinton's    line    of 
march  from  Canajoharie  to   Otsego  lake   (General  James 
Clinton  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Oneonta 

Boulder  commemorating  the  expedition  of  General  James 
Clinton  whose  troops  had  encamped  upon  the  spot  August 
11,  1779,  on  their  way  down  the  Susquehanna  to  join  the 
troops  of  General  John  Sullivan  (Oneonta  Chapter, 
D.  A.  R.) 
Springfield 

Monument  to  General  Herkimer 


282  THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

Putnam  county 
Carmel 

Monument  to  Enoch  Crosby,  patriot  spy  of  the  Revolution 
Cold  Spring 

Bronze  plaque  at  New  York  Central  Railroad  station  com- 
memorating Washington's  visit 
Constitution  Island 

Ruins  of  Fort  Constitution  and  other  fortifications 
Continental  Village 

Marker  to  Revolutionary  mothers 
Pollopel's  Island 

Here  a  chevaux-de-frise,  with  iron  pointed  spikes  30  feet  long, 
hidden   under  water  and   secured  by  cribs   of  stone,  was 
stretched  across  the  river  during  the  Revolution 
Garrison 

Beverly  Robinson  House 
Rensselaer  county 
North  Hoosick 

Bennington  Battlefield  Park  (at  Walloomsac) 
Rensselaer 

Fort  Crailo  (Yankee  Doodle  House) 
Rockland  county 

Bear  Mountain  Park 

Hessian  pond,  sometimes  called  Bloody  pond 
Haverstraw 

Tablet  marking  Arnold-Andre  meeting  place 
King's  Ferry  tablet 
Smith  House  or  Treason  House 
Stony  Point 

Fort  Clinton 
Fort  Fayette 

Stony  Point  Battlefield  Reservation 
Memorial  Arch 

Washington  Hill  where  Washington's  headquarters  tent  was 
erected,  1781 
Suffern 

Methodist  Episcopal  Parsonage 
Tavern,  headquarters  of  Washington  and  Burr 
Tappan 

"76"  House,  where  Andre  was  imprisoned  just  prior  to  his 

execution 
Monument  marking  the  spot  where  Andre  was  executed 
Tappan    headquarters,    where    Washington    issued   the    fatal 
warrant  which  condemned  Andre  to  death 


HISTORIC  SITES  283 

Saratoga  county 

Northumberland   (town) 

General  John  Stark's  position,  1777  (Stark's  knob) 
Saratoga  battlefield  (in  towns  of  Saratoga  and  Stillwater). 

Nine  miles  south  of  Schuylerville,  the  site  of  two  important 
battles  in  the  fall  of  1777,  the  second  one  of  which  led  to 
General  Burgoyne's  surrender  on  October  17th  of  that  year 

Headquarters  of  General  Gates,  1777 

Headquarters  of  General  Poor 

Powder  House  restored 

Ravine  where  attempt  was  made  to  assassinate  Colonel  Van 
Veghten 

Marker  at  site  of  Bemis  Tavern 

Monument  at  Fort  Neilson 
Schuylerville 

Saratoga  Battle  Monument 

Home  of  General  Schuyler 

Site  of  British  camp 

Site  where  Gates  and  Burgoyne  signed  articles  of  capitulation 

Marshall  House  where  Madam  Reidesel  and  other  women  and 
children  took  refuge 

Burgoyne  Headquarters,  1777 

British  army  surrender  point 

Burgoyne  Artillery  Park 

Site  of  wheat  fields  burned  by  Mrs  Schuyler 
Stillwater   (town) 

Headquarters  of  Generals  Schuyler  and  Gates 
Waterford 

Earthworks  on  Haver  (Peoble's)  island  thrown  up  in  1777 
as  defense  against  advance  of  Burgoyne 

Schoharie  county 
Cobleskill 

Boulder  marking  the  site  of  Fort  DuBois,  built  in  1781  (Cap- 
tain Christian  Brown  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Battle  of  Cobleskill,  June  1,  1778 
Schoharie 

Old  Stone  Fort 

Grave   and   monument   of   David  Williams,    one  of  Andre's 

captors 
Monument  to  perpetuate  the  valor  of  Colonel  Peter  Vrooman 
who  defended  the  fort  at  the  time  of  the  invasion  of  the 

valley  by  Sir  John  Johnson,  October  17,  1780 

10 


284  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

Seneca  county 
Kendaia 

Monument  to  General  Sullivan 
Seneca  Falls 

Tablet  to  mark  the  site  of  encampment  of  General  Sullivan's 

army,  1779  (Sagoyewatha  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Bronze  tablet  to  the  memory  of  the  Revolutionary  soldiers  and 
pioneer  settlers  of   Seneca  county,   also  to   commemorate 
Seneca  county  as  part  of  the  military  tract  assigned  to  Revo- 
lutionary soldiers  (Sagoyewatha  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Suffolk  county 
Huntington 

Site  of  Fort  Golgatha,  occupied  by  the  British 
Hunting  Village  Green  on  which  stood  the  block  house  for 
protection  from  the  Indians.     Here  the  early  town  meet- 
ings were  held  and  militia  drilled  in  Revolutionary  times 
(Ketewamoke  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Patchogue 

Marker  on  site  of  Hart's  Tavern,  visited  by  George  Washing- 
ton, 1790   (Colonel  Josiah  Smith  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Southampton 

Site  of  Revolutionary  fort 
Ulster  county 
Hurley 

Site  of  tree  where  Spy  Taylor  was  hanged 
Old  hotel  where  Washington  stopped 
Kingston 

Senate  House 
Tappan  House 

Monument  to  Governor  George  Clinton 
Warren"  county 
Caldwell 

Lake  George  Battleground  Park 

Fort  George.     At  the  head  of  Lake  George.     It  was  built  by 
General   Amherst  in   1759  and  was  captured  in   1775  by 
Colonel  Bernard  Romans 
Battle  of  Diamond  Island,  September  1777,  on  Lake  George 
Site  of  Fort  William  Henry 
Glens  Falls 

Halfway  Brook,  famous  military  halting  place 
Queensbury 

Fort  Amherst 


HISTORIC  SITES  285 

Washington  county 
Fort  Ann 

Battle  Hill  and  site  of  old  forts 
Fort  Edward 

Granite   monument   near   the  scene   of  the  massacre  by   the 
Indians  of  Jane  McCrea  on  July  27,  1777   (Jane  McCrea 
Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Boulder  marking  the  site  of  old  Fort  Edward,  1755-80  (Jane 
McCrea  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Greenwich 

Boulder  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  Greenwich  inscribed  "Old 
Continental  Road  over  which  a  detachment  of  Burgoyne's 
Army  under  Colonel  Baum  passed  on  its  way  to  Benning- 
ton, Vermont,  August  13,  1777"  (Willard's  Mountain 
Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Marker  placed  on  Dix  property  inscribed,  "200  feet  north 
of  this  bridge  is  the  road  cut  in  the  bank  by  General  Eraser 
for  the  crossing  of  the  Hudson  by  Burgoyne's  Army, 
September  13-14,  1777"  (Willard's  Mountain  Chapter, 
D.  A.  R.) 
White  Creek 

Site  of  Baum's  skirmish,  August  13,  1777 
Whitehall 

Revolutionary  and   1812  barracks 

Westchester  county 
Cortlandt 

Teller's  Point  or  Underbill's  Point.     Here  the  British  "Vul- 
ture" put  Major  Andre  ashore  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Tor, 
below  Haverstraw 
Dobbs  Ferry 

Livingston  House  in  1781  was  Washington's  headquarters. 
Here  he  and  Count  de  Rochambeau  planned  the  campaign 
against  Yorktown,  and  here  also  the  evacuation  of  New 
York  was  arranged  by  General  Clinton  and  Sir  Guy 
Carleton 
Hastings 

Here  a  party  of  Hessians  was  surprised  and  cut  to  pieces  by 
troops  under  Colonel  Sheldon.  From  here  Lord  Cornwallis 
embarked  for  Fort  Lee,  after  the  fall  of  Fort  Washington 


286  THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK 

Mount  Vernon 

St  Paul's  Church 

Eastchester  Military  Hospital 

Marker  on   Glover's   Rock  standing  on  the  battleground   of 

Pell's  Point  (Bronx  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
In  Van  Cortlandt  park  there  stands  a  tablet  erected  in  mem- 
ory of  Chief  Ninham   and  seventeen  Stockbridge  Indians 
who    fought    on    the    American    side     (Bronx     Chapter, 
D.  A.  R.) 
New  Rochelle 

Thomas  Paine  Home 
Peekskill 

Fort  Independence 

Monument  to  General  Seth  Pomeroy  (S.  A.  R.) 
Headquarters  of  Israel  Putnam  in  1779 

Nearby  is   the    old  Van   Cortlandt   house,   the   residence   of 
Washington  for  a  short  time  during  the  Revolution 
Pelham 

Site  of  Battle  of  Pell's  Point 
Scarsdale 

Bronze  marker   placed   on  an   old  milestone   on   New  York 
Post  Road  (White  Plains  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Tarrytown 

Monument  to  captors  of  Andre 
Tablet  marking;  action  July  15,  1781 
White  Plains 

In  the  courthouse  the  Provincial  Congress  of  New  York  met 
July  9,  1776,  the  congress  coming  from  New  York  on 
horseback.  On  that  date  they  received  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  which  was  read  to  the  public  in  front  of 
the  courthouse,  July  11th. 
Old  Fish  Homestead,  headquarters  of  General  Howe  during 

the  battle  of  White  Plains 
Washington's    headquarters    (Miller   House)     (White    Plains 

Chapter,  D.  A.  R.) 
Granite  base  on  which  is  placed  a  mortar  used  in  the  Revo- 
lution (White  Plains  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.  assisted  the  Village 
Park  Association) 
Yonkers 

Philipse  Manor  House 
Wyoming  county 
Perry 

Site  of  farthest  western  point  reached  by  General  Sullivan 


WORKS  RELATING  TO  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION  IN 
THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 

Compiled  by  Peter  Nelson 

UNITED  STATES 

Bibliography 

American  Historical  Association.     Papers  and  annual  reports,  1884- 
date.     Wash.  1884-date 

Generally  two  volumes  to  the  year,  fully  indexed.     A  very  comprehensive 
index  through  1914  was  published  as  volume  2  of  that  year's  report. 

Bibliography  of  American  historical  societies.     (Annual  report 


for  1905,  V.  2.)     Wash.  1907 

American  Historical  Review.  Issued  quarterly,  v.  1-30,  1895- 
1925 

Consolidated  indexes  have   been   issued   for  v.   1-10,   11-20. 

Channing,  Edward,  Hart,  A.  B.,  and  Turner,  F.  J.  Guide  to  the 
study  and  reading  of  American  history.     Rev.  ed.     Boston  1912 

Lamed,  J.  A.     Literature  of  American  history.       Boston  1902 

Winsor,  Justin.  Narrative  and  critical  history  of  America.  v.  6-7. 
Boston  1888 

— —  The  reader's  handbook  of  the  American  Revolution,  1761-83. 

.Boston  1879 

See  also  the  chapters  entitled  "Critical  essay  on  authorities"  in  the  works 
of  Howard,  Van  Tyne  and  McLaughlin,  listed  below. 

Sources 

Burnett,  E.  C.,  ed.  Letters  of  members  of  the  Continental  Congress. 
V.  1-2  (1774-77).  Wash.  1921-23.  (Carnegie  Institution  of 
Washington,  Publication  299) 

Force,  Peter,  comp.  American  archives:  a  collection  of  authentick 
records,  state  papers,  debates,  and  letters  and  other  notices  of 
publick  affairs;  forming  a  documentary  history.  9v.  Wash. 
1837-53 

Only  six  volumes  of  series  4   (1774-76)    and  three  volumes  of  series  5 
(1776)   were  published. 

[287] 


288  THE  UNIVERSITY   OF  THE  STATE   OF  NEW  YORK 

MacDonald,  William.  Documentary  source  book  of  American  his- 
tory, 1606-1913.     N.  Y.  1916 

Originally  published  in  1908;  the  most  important  items  from  his  Select 
charters,  1606-1775  (1899)  ;  Select  documents,  1776-1861  (rev.  ed.  1920  ; 
and   Select  statutes,   1861-1898    (1903). 

Moore,  Frank.  Diary  of  the  American  Revolution.  From  news- 
papers and  original  documents.     2v.     N.  Y.  1860 

Morison,  S.  E.,  ed.  Sources  and  documents  illustrating  the  Amer- 
ican Revolution,  1764-88,  and  the  formation  of  the  federal  con- 
stitution.    Oxford  1923 

U.  S.  Continental  Congress.  Journals  of  the  Continental  Congress, 
1774-89;  edited  from  the  original  records  in  the  Library  of  Con- 
gress,    v.  1-25  (1774-83).     Wash.  1904-22 

Wharton,  Francis,  ed.  The  Revolutionary  diplomatic  correspondence 
of  the  United  States.     6v.     Wash.  1889 

General  Works 

Andrews,  C.  M.  The  colonial  background  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion; four  essays  in  American  colonial  history.  New  Haven 
1924 

Avery,  E.  M.  A  history  of  the  United  States  and  its  people,  v.  5—6. 
Cleveland  1908-9 

.  Valuable  for   its   wealth   of   original   maps   and   illustrations,   and   for  the 
bibliographies  at  the  end  of  each  volume. 

Becker,  C.  L.  The  eve  of  the  Revolution;  a  chronicle  of  the  breach 
with  England.    New  Haven  1918      (Chronicles  of  America,  v.  11) 

Belcher,  Henry.  The  first  American  civil  war;  first  period,  1775-78, 
with  chapters  on  the  Continental  or  Revolutionary  army  and  on 
the  forces  of  the  crown.     2v.     London  1911 

Channing,  Edward.  A  history  of  the  United  States,  v.  3.  The 
American  Revolution,  1761-89.     N.  Y.  1912 

Egerton,  H.  E.  The  causes  and  character  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion.    Oxford  1923 

Fisher,  S.  G.  The  struggle  for  American  independence.  2v.  Phil. 
1908 

Fiske,     John.       The     American     Revolution.       2v.     Boston     1891 

— The  critical   period   of   American   history,    1783-89.      Boston 

1888 


THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION  IN   NEW  YORK  289 

Fitzpatrick,  J.  C.     The  spirit  of  the  Revolution.     Boston  1924 
Originally  appeared  in  the  D.  A.  R.  Magazine. 

Frothinghaiii,  Richard.  The  rise  of  the  republic  of  the  United  States. 
Boston  1872 

Numerous  later   editions. 

Greene,  E.  B.     The  foundation  of  American  nationality.     N.  Y.  1922 

Howard,  G.  E.  Preliminaries  of  the  Revolution,  1763-75.  N.  Y. 
1905      (American  nation,  v.  8) 

McLaughlin,  A.  C.  The  confederation  and  the  constitution,  1783—89. 
N.  Y.  1905      (American  nation,  v.  10) 

Marks,  Mary  A.  M.  England  and  America,  1763  to  1783;  the  his- 
tory of  a  reaction.     2v.     N.  Y.  1907 

Smith,  J.  H.  Our  struggle  for  the  fourteenth  colony:  Canada  and  the 
American  Revolution.     2v.     N.  Y.  1907 

Trevelyan,  G.  O.     The  American  Revolution.     6v.     N.  Y.  1909-14 

Van  Tyne,  C.  H.  The  American  Revolution,  1776-83.  N.  Y.  1905 
(American  nation,  v.  9) 

Wrong,  G.  M.  Washington  and  his  comrades  in  arms;  a  chronicle  of 
the  war  of  independence.  New  Haven  1921  (Chronicles  of 
America,  v.  12) 

Biographies    and   Collected   Works 

Andre.  Abbatt,  William.  The  crisis  of  the  Revolution;  being  the 
story  of  Arnold  and  Andre.     N.  Y.  1899 

Dawson,  H.  B.,  ed.    Papers   concerning  the   capture   and   de- 


tention of  Major  John  Andre.     Yonkers  1866 

Lossing,  B.  J.     The  two  spies  Nathan  Hale  and  John  Andre. 

N.  Y.  1886 


Sargent,  Winthrop.     Life  and  career  of  Major  John  Andre. 

Boston  1861.     N.  Y.  1871 

Arnold.     Abbatt,  William.     The  crisis  of  the  Revolution;  being  the 
story  of  Arnold  and  Andre.     N.  Y.  1899 

Arnold,  L  N.     Life  of  Benedict  Arnold.     Chicago  1880 


Brant.  Stone,  W.  L.  Life  of  Joseph  Brant  —  Thayendanegea :  in- 
cluding the  border  wars  of  the  American  Revolution.  2v.  N.  Y. 
1838.     New  ed.     2v.     Albany  1865 


290  THE  UNIVERSITY   OF  THE   STATE   OF  NEW  YORK 

Burgoyne.  Fonblanque,  E.  B.  de.  Political  and  military  episodes; 
from  the  life  and  correspondence  of  the  Right  Hon.  John  Bur- 
goyne.    London  1876 

Burr.  Parton,  James.  The  life  and  times  of  Aaron  Burr.  N.  Y. 
1867 

Numerous  later  editions. 

Wandell,  S.   H.,   &   Mimiigerode,   Meade.     Aaron    Burr;    a 

biography  compiled  from   rare  and  in  many  cases   unpublished 
sources.     2v.     N.  Y.  1925 

Hale.     Johnston,  H.  J.     Nathan  Hale.     N.  Y.  1901 

Lossing,  B.  J.    The  two  spies  Nathan  Hale  and  John  Andre. 


N.  Y.  1886 

Hamilton,  Alexander.  Complete  works;  ed.  by  H.  C.  Lodge.  9v. 
N.  Y.  1885-86 

Hamilton.  Hamilton,  A.  M^.  The  intimate  life  of  Alexander  Hamil- 
ton, based  chiefly  upon  original  family  letters  and  other  docu- 
ments, many  of  which  have  never  been  published.     N.  Y.  1910 

Lodge,  H.  C.  Alexander  Hamilton.  Boston.  1882  (Amer- 
ican Statesmen) 

Morse,    J.    T.     Life    of    Alexander    Hamilton.     2v.     Boston 


1876 

Oliver,  F.   S.     Alexander  Hamilton;   an  essay  on  American 

union.     N.  Y.  1906 

Herkimer.  New  York  (State).  Herkimer  monument  commission. 
Report  [of  dedication  of  monument  to  General  Nicholas  Herki- 
mer].    Albany  1897 

See  also  Greene,  History  of  the  Mohawk  Valley ;  New  York  State  Historical 
Association,  Proceedings,  v.  14. 

Jay,  John.  Correspondence  and  public  papers;  ed.  by  H.  P.  Johnston. 
4v.     N.  Y.  1890-93 

Jay.    Jay,  William.    The  life  of  John  Jay.    N.  Y.  1833 

Johnson,  Sir  William.  The  papers  of  Sir  William  Johnson;  ed.  by 
James  Sullivan,  State  Historian,  v.  1^.  Albany,  1821-25. 
V.  4  ed.  by  A.  C.  Flick,  State  Historian 

Johnson.  Stone,  W.  L.  The  life  and  times  of  Sir  William  Johnson. 

2v.     Albany  1865 


THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION  IN  NEW  YORK  291 

Lamb.  Leake,  I.  Q.  Memoir  of  the  life  and  times  of  General  John 
Lamb.     Albany  1857 

Livingston.  Livingston,  E.  B.  The  Livingstons  of  Livingston  Manor. 
N.  Y.  1910 

Ludington.  Johnson,  W.  F.  Colonel  Henry  Ludington;  a  memoir. 
N.  Y.  1907 

Typical  of   the  activities  witliin   one   of  the   smaller   subdivisions   of   the 
State. 

Morgan.  Graham,  James.  Life  of  General  Daniel  Morgan  of  the 
Virginia  line.     N.  Y.  1856 

Morris,  Gouverneur.  The  diary  and  letters  of  Gouverneur  Morris, 
minister  of  the  United  States  to  France,  etc.;  ed.  by  Anne  Gary 
Morris.     2v.     N.  Y.  1888 

Morris,  G.     Roosevelt,  Theodore.    Gouverneur  Morris.    Boston  1888 
(American  Statesmen) . 
Also  later  editions. 

Morris,  R.  Oberholzer,  E.  P.  Robert  Morris,  patriot  and  financier. 
N.  Y.  1903 

Sumner,  W.  G.     The  financier  and  the  finances  of  the  Amer- 


ican Revolution.     2v.     N.  Y.  1891 

Schuyler.     Baxter,  K.  S.     A  godchild  of  Washington,  a  picture  of 
the  past.     N.  Y.  1897 

Lossing,   B.    J.      Life    and   times    of    Philip    Schuyler.      2v. 

N.  Y.  1884 

Schuyler,  G.  W.     Colonial  New  York:  Philip  Schuyler  and 


his  family.     2v.     N.  Y.  1885 

■  Tuckerman,    Bayard.     Life     of     General     Philip    Schuyler. 

N.  Y;  1905 

Stark.  Stark,  Caleb.  Memoir  and  official  correspondence  of  Gen- 
eral John  Stark.     Concord  1860 

Van  Schaack.  Van  Schaack,  H.  C.  The  life  of  Peter  Van  Schaack, 
embracing  selections  from  his  correspondence  and  other  writings 
during  the  American  Revolution,  and  his  exile  in  England.  N.  Y. 
1842 

Warner,  Chipman,  Daniel.  The  life  of  Colonel  Seth  Warner. 
Various  editions 


292  THE  UNIVERSITY   OF  THE   STATE   OF  NEW  YORK 

Washington,  George.    Writings;  ed.  by  Jared  Sparks.     12v.  1834-37. 

Writings;  ed.  by  W.  C.  Ford.     14v.     N.  Y.  1889-93. 

Washington.     Baker,  W.  S.     Itinerary  of  General  Washington  from 
June  15,  1775,  to  December  23,  1783.     Phil.  1892 

A  slighter  work  is  Washington's  itinerary  during  the  war,  comp.  by  Hugh 
Hastings,   in   the  Public  papers  of   George  Clinton,  8:396-413. 

Ford,  P.  L.     The  true  George  Washington.     Phil.  1896 


Hamilton,  S.  M.,  ed.  Letters  to  Washington  and  accompany- 
ing papers,  1752-75;  published  by  the  Society  of  Colonial  Dames 
of  America.     5v.  Boston  1898-1902 

Irving,  Washington.    Life  of  George  Washington.    5v.    N.  Y. 


1857-59 

Lodge,     H.     C.     George     Washington.     2v.       Boston     1889 

(American  Statesmen) 

Marshall,  John.     The  life  of  George  Washington.     5v.  and 

atlas.     Phil.  1804-7 
Numerous  later  editions. 

Wayne.  Stille,  C.  J.  Major  General  Anthony  Wayne  and  the  Penn- 
sylvania line  in  the  continental  army.     Phil.   1893 

Willett.  Willett,  W.  M.  A  narrative  of  the  military  actions  of 
Colonel  Marinus  Willett.     N.  Y.  1831 

Special  Topics 

Commerce  and  finance.  Beer,  G.  L.  The  commercial  policy  of 
England  toward  the  American  colonies.  N.  Y.  1893  (Columbia 
University,  Studies  in  history,  economics  and  public  law,  v.  3) 

BoUes,  A.  S.     The  financial  history  of  the  United  States,  from 

1774  to  1789.     N.  Y.  1875 

Later  editions. 
■ Dewey,  D.  R.     Financial  history  of  the  United  States.    Rev. 


ed.     N.  Y.  1912 
—  Schlesinger,  A.  M.     The  colonial  merchants  and  the  Amer- 


ican Revolution.     N.  Y.  1917     (Columbia  University,  Studies  in 
history,  economics  and  public  law,  v.  78  j 

See  also  Morris,  Robert,  under  Biographies  and  collected  works. 

Constitutional  and  political  history.  Adams,  R.  G.  Political  ideas 
of  the  American  Revolution;  Britannic- American  contributions  to 
the  problem  of  imperial  organization,  1765-75.  Durham,  N.  C. 
1922 


THE  AMERICAN   REVOLUTION  IN   NEW  YORK  293 

-  Articles  of  confederation. 

See  references  in  Avery,  6:457. 

Mcllwain,  C.  H.     The  American  Revolution:  a  constitutional 

interpretation.     N.  V  .  1923 

-  Nevins,   Allan.     The   American   states    during  and   after   the 
Revolution,  1775-89.     N.  Y.  1924 

"A  conspectus  of  state  liistory,  as  distinguished  from  national  history." 

Thorpe,  F.  N.     A  constitutional  history  of  the  American  peo- 
ple, 1776-1850.     2v.     N.  Y.  1898 

"The  origin  and  development  of  the  state  governments  and  the  local 
application  by  the  commonwealths  of  the  principles  at  the  basis  of  our 
institutions."  (From  preface  to  his  Constitutional!  history  of  the  United 
States) . 

Thorpe,    F.    N.     The    constitutional    history    of    the    United 


States.     V.  1,  1765-88.     Chicago  1901 

Declaration  of  Independence.  Becker,  C.  L.  The  Declaration  of 
Independence,  a  study  in  the  history  of  political  ideas.  N.  Y. 
1922 

Friedenwald,  Herbert.     The  Declaration  of  Independence,  an 

interpretation  and  an  analysis.    N.  Y.  1904, 

Hazelton,  J.  H.  The  Declaration  of  Independence,  its  his- 
tory.    N.  Y.  1906 

' —  Sanderson,  John.    Lives  of  the  signers  to  the  Declaration  of 


Independence.     Various  editions 

French  aid.     Corwin,  E.  S.    French  policy  and  the  American  alliance 
of  1778.     Princeton  1916 

Hale  E.  E.,  &  Hale,  E.  E.  jr.     Franklin  in  France.     Boston 


1887-88 

Jusserand,  J.  J.     With  Americans  of  past  and  present  days. 

N.  Y.   1916 

■ Perkins,  J.  B.     France  in  the  American  Revolution.     Boston 

1911 

German  troops.  Eelking,  Max  von.  The  German  allied  troops  in 
the  North  American  war  of  independence,  1776-83;  trans,  by  J.  G. 
Rosengarten.     Albany   1893 

Low^ell,  E.  J.     The  Hessians  and  the  other  German  auxiliaries 


of  Great  Britain  in  the  Revolutionary  war.     N.  Y,  1884 


294  THE  UNIVERSITY   OF  THE  STATE   OF  NEW  YORK 

German  Troops.  Pettengill,  R.  W.  Letters  from  America,  1776—79; 
being  letters  of  Brunswick,  Hessian  and  Waldeck  officers  with  the 
British  armies  during  the  Revolution.     Boston  1924 

See  also  entries  under  Burgoyne  campaign. 

Literature.  Moore,  Frank,  ed.  Songs  and  ballads  of  the  American 
Revolution.     N.  Y.  1856 

Tyler,  M.  C.     The  literary  history,  of  the  American  Revolu- 


tion, 1763-83.     N.  Y.  1897 

Loyalists.     Canada.     Archives.     Reports.     Ottawa  1882-date 
See  especially  the  calendar  of  the  Haldimand  papers. 

Ontario,     Bureau  of  archives.     Second  report,  for  1904.     2v. 

Toronto  1905 

Proceedings  of  commissioners  to  inquire  into  the  losses  and  services  of  the 
Loyalists.     The  manuscript  record  is  in  the  Library  of  Congress. 


Ryerson,  Egerton.     The  loyalists  of  America  and  their  times, 

1620-1816.     2v.     Toronto  1880 

Van  Tyne,  C.  H.     The  Loyalists  in  the  American  Revolution. 

N.  Y.  1902 

Prisoners  of  war. 

See  references  in  Avery,  6:451. 

Religion.     Cross,  A.  L.     The  Anglican  episcopate  and  the  American 
colonies.     N.   Y.    1902      (Harvard   historical    studies,    v.   9) 

Humphrey,    E.    F.     Nationalism    and    religion    in    America, 


1774-89.     Boston  1924 

Military  history.     Carrington,  H.  B.    Battles  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution.      N.  Y.  1876 
Later  editions. 

Dawson,  H.  B.    Battles  of  the  United  States.    2v.    N.  Y.  1858 


—  Fortescue,  J.  W.     A  history  of  the  British  army.    V.  3,  1763- 
93.    N.  Y.  1902 

—  Greene,  F.  V.     The  Revolutionary  war  and  the  military  policy 
of  the  United  States.     N.  Y.  1911 

Includes  the  excellent  maps  of  Avery's  History  of  the  United  States. 

Hatch,  L.  C.    The  administration  of  the  American  Revolution-- 

ary  army.    N,  Y.  1904     (Harvard  histQripal  studies,  v.  10) 


THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION  IN  NEW  YORK  295 

Lossing,  B.  J.     The  pictorial  field-book  of  the  Revolution.  2v. 

N.  Y.  1851-52 

Later  editions. 

Upton,   Emory.     The   military   policy    of   the   United   States. 

Wash.  1904 

Later  editions. 

NEW  YORK 

Bibliography 

Flagg,  C.  A.,  &  Jennings,  J.  T.  Bibliography  of  New  York  colonial 
history.  Albany  1901  (New  York  State  Library  Bibliography 
Bulletin  24) 

Jewett,  A.  L.  Official  Publications  of  the  State  of  New  York  relating 
to  its  history  as  colony  and  state.  Albany  1917  (New  York 
State  Library  Bibliography  Bulletin  59) 

New  York  (State)  University.  School  Libraries  Division.  A  list 
of  books  relating  to  the  history  of  the  State  of  New  York.  Albany 
1916 

Lists  the  best  county  and  other  local  histories  to  its  date  of  publication. 
These  are  omitted  in  the  present  list. 

Sources 

Albany  County,  N.  Y.  Committee  of  Correspondence.  Minutes  of  the 
Albany  Committee  of  Correspondence,  1775-78;  ed.  by  James 
Sullivan,  State  Historian.     2v.     Albany  1923-26. 

Vol.  2.,  Minutes  of  the  Schenectady  Committee,  1775-79,  and  Index,  ed.  by 
A.  C.  Flick.    Introduction  by  Peter  Nelson. 

Clinton,  George.     Public  papers  of  George  Clinton,  first  governor  of 
New  York;  ed.  by  the  State  Historian.     lOv.     Albany,  1899-1914 
Vol.*  1-8,  ed.  by  Hugh  Hastings;  vol.  9-10,  ed.  by  J.  A.  Holden.     Intro- 
duction   by    Hugh    Hastings,    1:1-189. 

Lincoln,  C.  Z.  ed.  State  of  New  York:  Messages  from  the  governors, 
with  notes.     V.  1,  1683-1776;  v.  2,  1777-1822.     Albany  1909 

New  York,  Council.  Journal  of  the  legislative  council  of  the  col- 
ony of  New  York,  1691-1775.     2v.     Albany  1861 

Calendar  of  Council  Minutes,  1668-1783.     Albany  1903    (New 


York  State  Library  History  Bulletin  6) 

New  York  (colony).  General  assembly.  Journal  of  the  votes  and 
proceedings  of  the  colony  of  New  York  from  1766—76,  inclusive. 
Albany  1820 


296  THE  UNIVERSITY   OF  THE   STATE   OF  NEW  YORK 

New  York  (colony).  Laws.  The  colonial  laws  of  New  York  from 
the  year  1664  to  the  Revolution.     5v,     Albany  1894 

New  York  (colony  and  State.)  Provincial  Congress.  Journals  of 
the  Provincial  Congress,  Provincial  Convention,  Committee  of 
Safety  and  Council  of  Safety  of  the  State  of  New  York,  1775-77 
2v.     Albany  1842 

New  York    (State).     Assembly.     The  votes  and  proceedings  of  the 
Assembly  of  the  State  of  New  York 
Uusally  one  volume  to  a  session 
Various  places  and  dates 

New  York  (State).  Commissioners  for  detecting  and  defeating 
conspiracies.  Minutes  of  the  Commissioners  for  detecting  and  de- 
feating conspiracies  in  the  State  of  New  York:  Albany  county 
sessions,  1778-81 ;  ed.  by  V.  H.  Paltsits,  State  Historian.  3v.  Al- 
bany 1909-10 

Introduction  by  the  editor,  1 :9-61. 

• Minutes   of  the   Committee  and   of   the  first   Commission   for 

detecting  and  defeating  conspiracies  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
Dec.  11,  1776-Sept.  23,  1778.  2v.  N.  Y.  1924-25  (New  York 
Historical  Society,  Collections,  Publication  fund  series,  v.  57-58) 

New  York  (State).  Council  of  Appointment.  Minutes  of  the 
Council  of  Appointment,  State  of  New  York,  April  2,  1778-May 
3,  1779.  N.  Y.  1925  (In  New  York  Historical  Society,  Collec- 
tions, Publication  fund  series,  v.  58) 

New  York  (State).  Laws.  Laws  of  the  State  of  New  York;  repub- 
lished by  the  Secretary  of  State.     V.  1,  1777-84.     Albany  1886 

New  York  (State).  Legislature.  Documents  relative  to  the  colonial 
history  of  the  State  of  New  York;  ed.  by  E.  B.  O'Callaghan.  15v. 
Albany  1856-87 

Often  cited  as  New  York  Colonial  Documents.  V.  8,  London  documents, 
1768-82.  V.  15,  State  archives:  New  York  in  the  Revolution;  ed.  by  Berthold 
Fernow. 

New  York  (State).  Secretary  of  State.  Calendar  of  historical 
manuscripts  relating  to  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  2v.  Albany, 
1868 

New  York  (State).     Senate.     The  votes  and  proceedings  of  the  Sen- 
ate of  the  State  of  New  York. 
Usually  one  volume  to  a  session 
Various  places  and  dates 


THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION  IN   NEW   \OnK  297 

New  York  Historical  Society.  Colleclioiis.  V.  1-5;  second  series, 
V.  1-4;  publication  fund  series,  v,  1-58;  Jones  fund  series,  v.  1-4. 
N.  Y.  1811-1925 

Publications  of  the  greatest  value  for  the  history  of  the  State.  See 
especially  in  publication  fund  series:  Lee  papers,  v.  4-7;  Golden  letters  and 
papers,  v.  9-10,  50-56;  Revolutionary  papers,  v.  11-13;  Montresor  journals, 
V.  14;  Von  Krafft  journal  and  McDonald  letter  book,  v.  15;  Kemble  journals 
and  orderly  books,  v.  16-17;  Deane  papers,  v.  19-23;  Revolutionary  muster 
rolls,  V.  47-48;  Proceedings  of  a  board  of  general  officers  of  the  British  army, 
v.  49;  Minutes  of  committee  and  first  commission  for  detecting  and  defeating 
•conspiracies  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  of  Council  of  appointment,  v. 
57-58. 

Tryon  county,  N.  Y.  Committee  of  Safety.  The  minute  book  of  the 
committee  of  safety;  introduction  by  J.  H.  Hanson  and  notes  by 
S.  L.  Frey.     N.  Y.  1905 

Rosters 

Heitm^an,  F.  B.  Historical  register  of  officers  of  the  continental  army 
during  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  1775-83.     Wash.  1893 

New  York  (State).  Comptroller.  New  York  in  the  Revolution  as 
Colony  and  State.     Albany  1897 

A  second  edition  was .  published  in  1898,  which  was  much  enlarged  but 
omitted  the  article  on  the  "Raid  of  Sir  John  Johnson  on  the  Schoharie  and 
Mohawk  valleys  in  October  1780."  A  Supplement  appeared  in  1901,  and 
both  volumes  were  reissued  in  1904  as  volumes  1  and  2,  but  without  change 
of  contents. 

New  York  (State).  Secretary  of  State.  The  balloting  book,  and 
other  documents  relating  to  military  bounty  lands,  in  the  State 
of  New  York.     Albany  1825 

See  also  Calendar  of  historical  manuscripts  relating  to  the  war  of  the 
Revolution  and  State  Archives  (v.  15  of  Documents  relating  to  the  colonial 
history  of  the  State  of  New  York),  listed  under  Sources. 

General  Works 

Anderson,  J.  J.,  &  Flick,  A.  C.  A  short  history  of  the  State  of  New 
York.     N.  Y.  1902 

American  Scenic  and  Historic  Preservation  Society.  Annual  report. 
SOv.     Albany,  etc.'  1886-1925 

Contains  numerous  accounts  of  historic  parks,  buildings  and  sites  con- 
nected with  the  Revolutionary  period. 

Fiske,  John.  The  Dutch  and  Quaker  colonies  in  America.  2v. 
Boston  1899 

Home,  C.  F.     History  of  the  State  of  New  York.     Boston  1916 


298  THE  UNIVERSITY   OF  THE   STATE   OF  NEW  YORK 

Jones,  Thomas.  History  of  New  York  during  the  Revolutionary 
war;  ed.  by  E.  F.  De  Lancey.  N.  Y.  1879  (New  York  Historical 
Society,  Collections,  Jones  fund  series) 

New  York  State  Historical  Association.  Proceedings.  23v.  1901-26 
The  annual  meetings  are  held  in  various  parts  of  the  state  and  the  papers 
deal  largely  with  the  local  history  of  the  region.  For  New  York  City,  see 
V.  17;  Westchester  co.,  v.  19;  Hudson  Valley,  v.  11,  15,  19;  northern  New 
York,  V.  1-12,  15,  17,  20;  Mohawk  Valley,  v.  11,  12,  14;  western  New  York 
and  Sullivan's  expedition,  v.  6,  8,  23;  Loyalists,  v.  13,  23. 

New  York  (State).  Secretary  of  State.  The  centennial  celebra- 
tions of  the  State  of  New  York;  prepared  by  A.  C.  Beach,  Secre- 
tary of  State.     Albany  1879 

Roberts,  E.  H.  New  York:  the  planting  and  growth  of  the  Empire 
State.  2v.  Boston  1897.  Later  editions,  (American  Common- 
wealths) 

Williams,  Sherman.     New  York's  part  in  history.     N.  Y.  1915 

See  also  Stokes,  I.  N.  P.  under  New  York  City  and  Westchester  county. 

Biographies   and   Collected   Works 

See  this  heading  under  United  States 

Special  Topics 

Constitutional  and  political  history.  Alexander,  D.  S.  A  politi- 
cal history  of  the  State  of  New  York.     4v.     N.  Y.  1906-23 


—  Fox,  D.  R.  The  decline  of  aristocracy  in  the  politics  of  New 
York.  N.  Y.  1918  (Columbia  University,  Studies  in  history, 
economics  and  public  law,  v.  86) 


—  Hammond,  J.  D.     The  history  of  political  parties  in  the  State 
of  New  York.     2v.     Albany  1842 

Other  editions. 

—  Lincoln,   C.   Z.     The   constitutional   history   of   the   State   of 


New  York.     5v.     Rochester  1906 

Loyalists.  Flick,  A.  C.  Loyalism  in  New  York  during. the  American 
Revolution.  N.  Y.  1901  (Columbia  University,  Studies  in 
history,  economics  and  public  law,  v.  14) 

New  York   Historical   Society.     Orderly  book  of  the  three 

battalions  of  Loyalists,  commanded  by  Brigadier  General  Oliver 
DeLancey,  1776-78.  List  of  New  York  Loyalists,  compiled  by 
William  Kelby.  N.  Y.  1917  (New  York  Historical  Society, 
Collections,  Jones  fund  series) 


THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION  IN  NEW  YORK  299 

Religion.  New  York  (State).  Historian.  Ecclesiastical  records. 
State  of  New  \ork;  published  under  supervision  of  Hugh  Hast- 
ings, State  Historian.     7v.     Albany   1901-16 

V.   7,   index,  by   E.   T.   Corwan,   under   auspices   of   J.   A.   Holden,   State 
Historian. 

Schools.  Gifford,  W.  J.  Historical  development  of  the  New  York 
State  high  school  system  (In  University  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
Annual  report,  1920,  v.  2,  Secondary  education) 

Kemp,  W.  W.     The  support  of  schools  in  colonial  New  York 

by  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  parts. 
N.  Y.  1913  (Teachers  College,  Columbia  university,  Contribu- 
tion to  education.  No.  56) 

IVIiller,  G.  F.     The  academy  system  of  the  State  of  New  York 


(In  University  of  the  State  of  New  York,  Annual  report,  1919, 
V.  2,  Secondary  education) 

Military  History 

Gardiner,  A.  B.  The  New  York  Continental  Line  in  the  army  of 
the  Revolution  (In  Magazine  of  American  History.  1881. 
7:401-19) 

This  subject  is  discussed  in  the  general  works  on  the  State.  For  special 
campaigns,  see  the  geographical  divisions  affected.  See  also  county  and 
town  histories,  which  are  not  listed  here. 

Long   Island  —  Campaign   of  1776 

Field,  T.  W.  The  battle  of  Long  Island,  with  connected  preceding 
events,  and  the  subsequent  American  retreat.  Brooklyn  1869 
(Long  Island  Historical  Society,  Memoirs,  v.  2) 

Mather,  F.  G.  The  refugees  of  1776  from  Long  Island  to  Con- 
necticut.    N.  Y.  1909 

Onderdonk,  Henry.  Documents  and  letters  intended  to  illustrate  the 
Revolutionary  incidents  of  Queens  county.  N.  Y.  1846.  2d  ser. 
Hempstead  1884 

Revolutionary  incidents  of  Suffolk  and  Kings  counties ;  with  an 


account  of  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  and  the  British  prisons  and 
prison-ships  at  New  York.     N.  Y.  1849 

Stiles,  H.  R.  The  civil,  political,  professional  and  ecclesiastical 
history,  and  commercial  and  industrial  record  of  the  county  of 
Kings  and  the  city  of  Brooklyn  from  1683  to  1884.     N,  Y.  1884 


300  THE  UNIVERSITY   OF  THE   STATE   OF  NEW  YORK 

New   York    City    and    Westchester    County 

Abbatt,  William.  The  battle  of  Pell's  Point,  Oct.  18,  1776.  N.  Y. 
1901 

Bolton,  R.  P.  Relics  of  the  Revolution;  the  story  of  the  discovery  of 
the  buried  remains  of  military  life  in  forts  and  camps  on  Man- 
hattan Island.     N.  Y.  1916 

Washington    Heights,    Manhattan,    its    eventful    past.     N.    Y. 


1924 
Dawson,  H.  B.     The  Sons  of  Liberty  in  New  York.     N.  Y.  1859 

Westchester  county,   N.  Y.,   during  the  American  Revolution. 

Morrisania  1886 

(Also  in  Scharf,  J.  I.,  History  of   Westchester  county,   1:177-457.     Phil. 
1886). 

Hufeland,  Otto.  Westchester  County  during  the  American  Revolu- 
tion 1775-83.  White  Plains  1926  (Westchester  County  Histori- 
cal Society,  Publications,  v.  3) 

Johnston,  H.  P.  The  battle  of  Harlem  Heights,  Sept.  16,  1776;  with 
a  review  of  the  events  of  the  campaign.     N.  Y.  1897 

The  campaign  of  1776  around  New  York  and  Brooklyn;  in- 
cluding a  new  and  circumstantial  account  of  the  battle  of  Long 
Island  and  the  loss  of  New  York  with  a  review  of  events  to  the 
close  of  the  year.  Brooklyn  1878  (Loiig  Island  Historical 
Society,  Memoirs,  v.  3) 

New  York  Mercantile  library  association.  New  York  City  during 
the  American  Revolution;  being  a  collection  of  original  papers. 
N.  Y.  1861 

Peterson,  A.  E.,  ed.     Landmarks  of  New  York,  an  historical  guide 

to  the  metropolis.     N.  Y.  1923 

Published   by  the   City   History   Club   and   includes   all   the   boroughs   of 
Greater  New  York. 

Roosevelt,  Theodore.  New  York.  New  edition  with  postscript, 
1890-95.     N.  Y.  1895 

Stokes,  I.  N.  P.  The  iconography  of  Manhattan  island,  v.  1-4. 
N.  Y.  1915-22 

Chapter  3,  part  1  (4:731-940),  of  the  chronology  is  a  very  careful  selec- 
tion of  the  important  events  in  the  State  from  the  Treaty  of  Paris  in  1763 
to  the  Declaration  of  Independence  by  the  State  of  New  York,  July  9,  1776; 
this  chronology  will  be  continued  in  volume  5.  The  extracts  from  the 
original  sources  and  the  exact  references  to  these  give  the  work  unusual 
value. 

Wilson,  J.  G.,  ed.  The  Memorial  History  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
from  its  first  settlement  to  the  year  1892,     4v.     N.  Y.  1892-93 


THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW    YORK  301 

Hudson    River    Campaigns  —  West    Point 

Boynton,  E.  C.  History  of  West  Point,  and  its  military  importance 
during  the  American  Revolution:  and  the  origin  and  progress  of 
the  United  States  Military  academy.     N.  Y.  1863 

CiiUvun,  G.  W.  The  struggle  for  the  Hudson  (In  Winsor,  Narra- 
tive and  critical  history,  6:275-366) 

Dawson,  H.  B.  Assault  on  Stony  Point  by  Gen.  Anthony  Wayne, 
July  16,  1779.    Morrisania  1863 

Gardiner,  A.  B.  The  last  cantonment  of  the  main  continental  army 
of  the  Revolution  (In  Magazine  of  American  History.  1883. 
10:355-80) 

Johnston,  H.  P.     The  storming  of  Stony  Point.     N.  Y.  1900 

Ruttenber,  E.  M.  Obstructions  to  the  navigation  of  Hudson's  River, 
embracing  the  minutes  of  the  secret  committee  appointed  by  the 
Provincial  Convention  of  New  York,  July  16,  1776,  and  other 
original  documents  relating  to  the  subject,  together  with  papers 
relating  to  the  beacons.     Albany  1860 

Stevens,  John  A.  The  Seventy-six  Howe  house  at  Tappan  (In 
Magazine  of  American  History.     1879.     3:743-46) 

U.  S.  Military  academy.  The  centennial  of  the  United  States  Military 
academy  at  West  Point,  N.  Y.     2v.     Wash.  1904 

Vol.  1  contains  chapters  on  "West  Point  in  the  Revolution,  1778-1783," 
by  Captain  H.  M.  Reeve,  and  "Origin  of  the  Military  academy,  1777-1802," 
by  E.  S.  Holden.     Vol.  2  has  a  bibliography  of  West  Point,  1694-1902. 

Northern   New   York  — 1775-76 
Grant,  Mrs  Anne.     Memoirs  of  an  American  lady;  with  sketches  of 
manners  and  scenes  in  America  as  they   existed  previous  to   the 
Revolution.     London  1808 

Of  the  numerous  later  editions,  the  best  is  the  one  with  memoir  of  Mrs 
Grant  by  J.  A.  Wilson.     N.  Y.  1901. 

Jones,  C.  H.  History  of  the  campaign  for  the  conquest  of  Canada 
in  1776.     Phil.  1882 

Literary  and  Historical  Society  of  Quebec. 

See  list  of  documents"  and  journals  in  Avery,  5:427. 

Mahan,  A.  T.  The  major  operations  of  the  navies  in  the  war  of 
American  independence.     Boston   1913 

Chapter  1  is  on  the  naval  campaign  of  1776  on  Lake  Ciiamplain. 


302  THE    UNIVERSITY   OF   THE  STATE   OF   NEW   YORK 

Raid,  W.  M.  Lake  George  and  Lake  Champlain;  the  war  trail  of  the 
Mohawk  and  the  battleground  of  France  and  England  in  their 
contest  for  the  control   of  North  America.     N.  Y.   1910 

Ritzema,  Rudolphus.  Journal,  [Aug.  8,  1775-March  3,  1776]  (In 
Magazine  of  American  History.     1877.     1:98-107) 

Burgoyne  Invasion  — 1777 

Anburey,  Thomas.  Travels  through  the  interior  parts  of  America. 
2v.  London  1789.     Boston  1923 

[Becker,  J.  P.]  The  Sexagenary,  or  Reminiscences  of  the  American 
Revolution;  ed.  by  S.  D,  Bloodgood.  Albany  1833.  Other  ed., 
Albany  1866 

Burgoyne,  John.  Orderly  book  of  Lieut.  Gen.  John  Burgoyne,  from 
his  entry  into  the  State  of  New  York  until  his  surrender  at  Sara- 
toga,  16th  Oct.   1777;   ed.  by  E.   B.  O'Callaghan.     Albany  1860 

A   state   of   the  expedition   from    Canada   as   laid   before  the 

House  of  Commons,  and  verified  by  evidence;  with  a  collection 
of   authentic   documents.     London   1780 

Brandow,  J.  H.  Old  Saratoga  and  the  Burgoyne  campaign.  Rev. 
ed.     Albany  1919 

Dighy,  William.  The  British  invasion  from  the  North.  The  cam- 
paigns of  Generals  Carleton  and  Burgoyne,  from  Canada,  1776— 
77,  with  the  journal  of  Lieut.  William  Digby.  Illustrated  with 
historical  notes,  by  J,  P.  Baxter.     Albany  1887 

Eelking,  Max  von.  Memoirs,  and  letters  and  journals  of  Major 
General  Riedesel,  during  his  residence  in  America;  trans,  by 
W.  L.  Stone.     2v.     Albany  1868 

Hadden,  J.  M.  Journal  kept  in  Canada  and  upon  Burgoyne's  cam- 
paign in  1776  and  1777;  ed.  by  Horatio  Rogers.     Albany  1884 

Lamb,  Roger.  An  original  and  authentic  journal  of  occurrences  dur- 
ing the  late  American  war.     Dublin  1809 

Neilson,  Charles.  An  original,  compiled  and  corrected  account  of 
Burgoyne's  campaign  and  the  memorable  battles  of  Bemis  Heights. 
Albany  1844.     New  edition.     Albany  1926 

Riedesel,  Madame  Friederike  C.  L.  v.  M.  von.  Letters  and  journals 
relating  to  the  war  of  the  American  Revolution,  and  the  capture 
of  the  German  troops  at  Saratoga;  trans,  by  W.  L.  Stone.  Albany 
1867 


THE    AMERICAN    REVOLUTION    IN    NEW   YORK  303 

Stone,  W.  L.     Ballads  and  poems  relating  to  the  Burgoyne  campaign, 
Albany  1893 

The  campaign  of  Lieut.  Gen.  John  Burgoyne,  and  the  expedi- 
tion of  Lieut.  Col.  Barry  St  Leger.     Albany  1877 

Letters  of  Brunswick  and  Hessian  officers  during  the  American 


Revolution.     Albany  1891 

Thacher,  James.     Military  journal  during  the  American  Revolution- 
ary war.     Boston  1823 
Numerous  editions. 

Walworth,  Ellen  H.    Battles  of  Saratoga.    Albany  1891 

Battle    of    Bennington  —  1777 

Coburn,  F.  W.  The  centennial  history  of  the  battle  of  Bennington. 
Boston  1877 

Foster,  H.  D.,  &  Streeter,  T.  W.  Stark's  independent  command  at 
Bennington  (In  New  York  State  Historical  Association,  Pro- 
ceedings.    1905.     5:24-95) 

Holland,  J.  G.  History  of  western  Massachusetts.  2v.  Springfield 
1855 

Smith,  J.  E.  A.  The  history  of  Pittsfield,  Mass.  2v.  Boston 
1869-76 

Mohawk    Valley  —  Battle    of    Oriskany  —  1777 

Campbell,  W.  W.  Annals  of  Tryon  county;  or,  The  border  warfare 
of  New  York,  during  the  Revolution.     Ed.  4.    N.  Y.  1924. 

The  first  edition  was  published  in  1831.  The  second  edition  (1849)  bore 
the  title:  The  border  warfare  of  New  York,  during  the  Revolution;  or,  The 
annals  of  Tryon  County. 

Greene,  Nelson.  History  of  the  Mohawk  valley — gateway  of  the 
West— 1614-1925.     4v.     Chicago  1925 

Chapter  51-76,  p.  630-1139,  are  devoted  to  the  Revolution  and  the  period 
immediately  preceding  and  include  rosters  of  the  Oriskany  soldiers  and  the 
Mohawk  valley  militia. 

Halsey,  F.  W.     Old  New  York  frontier.     N.  Y.  1901 

Hanson,  W.  T.  jr.  Schenectady  in  the  Revolution.  Privately 
printed  1916 

Hough,  F,  B,,  ed.    The  northern  wvagion  pf  October  1780.    N.  Y. 


304  THE    UNIVERSITY    OF    THE   STATE    OF    NEW   YORK 

Johnson,  John.  Orderly  Book  of  Sir  John  Johnson  during  the 
Oriskany  campaign,  1776-77;  annotated  by  W.  L.  Stone;  with  an 
historical  introduction  illustrating  the  life  of  Sir  John  Johnson 
by  J.  W.  DePeyster;  and  some  tracings  from  the  footprints  of  the 
Tories  or  Loyalists  in  America,  contributed  by  T.  B.  Myers. 
Albany  1882 

Reid,  W.  M.  The  Mohawk  valley,  its  legends  and  its  history.  N.  Y. 
1901. 

Roberts,  E.  H.  The  battle  of  Oriskany,  its  place  in  history,  an  ad- 
dress  at   the   centennial   celebration,   Aug.   6,    1877.     Utica   1877 

Simms,  J.  R.     The  frontiersmen  of  New  York.     2v.     Albany  1882-83 

A  revised  and  enlarged  edition  of  his  History  of  Schoharie  county  and  the 
border  wars  of  New  York.     Albany,  1845. 

Western    New    York  —  Sullivan's    Expedition 

Conover,  George  S.,  comp.  Journals  of  the  military  expedition  of 
Major  General  John  Sullivan  against  the  Six  Nations  of  Indians 
in  1779  with  records  of  centennial  celebrations;  (under  direction 
of)    F.  C.  Cook,  Secretary  of  State.     Auburn  1887 

Davis,  A.  M.  The  Indians  and  the  border  warfare  of  the  Revolution 
(In  Winsor,  Narrative  and  critical  history,  6:605-84) 


DOCUMENTS  ILLUSTRATING  THE  REVOLUTION 

DECLARATION  OF  RIGHTS  AND  GRIEVANCES  OF  THE 
STAMP  ACT  CONGRESS 

October  19,  1765 

The  members  of  this  Congress,  sincerely  devoted,  with  the  warmest 
sentiments  of  affection  and  duty  to  his  Majesty's  person  and  govern- 
ment, inviolably  attached  to  the  present  happy  establishment  of  the 
Protestant  succession,  and  with  minds  deeply  impressed  by  a  sense  of 
the  present  and  impending  misfortunes  of  the  British  colonies  on  this 
continent;  having  considered  as  maturely  as  time  will  permit,  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  said  colonies,  esteem  it  our  indispensable  duty  to 
make  the  following  declarations  of  our  humble  opinion,  respecting  the 
most  essential  rights  and  liberties  of  the  colonists,  and  of  the  griev- 
ances under  which  they  labor,  by  reason  of  several  late  acts  of  parlia- 
ment. 

I.  That  his  Majesty's  subjects  in  these  colonies,  owe  the  same 
allegiance  to  the  crown  of  Great  Britain,  that  is  owing  from  his  sub- 
jects born  within  the  realm,  and  all  due  subordination  to  that  august 
body  the  parliament  of  Great  Britain. 

II.  That  his  Majesty's  liege  subjects  in  these  colonies,  are  intitled 
to  all  the  inherent  rights  and  liberties  of  his  natural  born  subjects, 
within  the  kingdom  of  Great  Britain. 

III.  That  it  is  inseparably  essential  to  the  freedom  of  a  people,  and 
the  undoubted  right  of  Englishmen,  that  no  Taxes  be  imposed  on 
them  but  with  their  own  consent,  given  personally,*  or  by  their  repre- 
sentatives. 

IV.  That  the  people  of  these  colonies  are  not,  and,  from  their  local 
circumstances,  cannot  be,  represented  in  the  House  of  Commons  in 
Great  Britain. 

V.  That  the  only  representatives  of  the  people  of  these  colonies  are 
persons  chosen  therein  by  themselves,  and  that  no  taxes  ever  have 
been,  or  can  be  constitutionally  imposed  on  them,  but  by  their  respec- 
tive legislatures.  .  " 

VI.  That  all  supplies  to  the  crown  being  free  gifts  of  the  people,  it 
is  unreasonable  and  inconsistent  with  the  principles  and  spirit  of  the 
British  constitution,  for  the  people  of  Great  Britain  to  grant  to  his 
Majesty  the  property  of  the  colonists. 

VII.  That  trial  by  jury,  is  the  inherent  and  invaluable  right  of 
every  British  subject  in  these  colonies. 

[305] 


306  THE  AMERICAN   REVOLUTION   IN  NEW  YORK 

VIII.  That  the  late  act  of  parliament,  entitled,  An  act  for  granting 
and  applying  certain  stamp  duties,  and  other  duties,  in  the  British 
colonies  and  plantations  in  America,  etc.,  by  imposing  taxes  on  the 
inhabitants  of  these  colonies,  and  the  said  act,  and  several  other  acts, 
by  extending  the  jurisdiction  of  the  courts  of  admiralty  beyond  its 
ancient  limits,  have  a  manifest  tendency  to  subvert  the  rights  and 
liberties  of  the  colonists. 

IX.  That  the  duties  imposed  by  several  late  acts  of  parliament, 
from  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  these  colonies,  will  be  extremely 
burthensome  and  grievous;  and  from  the  scarcity  of  specie,  the  pay- 
ment of  them  absolutely  impracticable. 

X.  That  as  the  profits  of  the  trade  of  these  colonies  ultimately  center 
in  Great  Britain,  to  pay  for  the  manufactures  which  they  are  obliged 
to  take  from  thence,  they  eventually  contribute  very  largely  to  all 
supplies  granted  there  to  the  crown. 

XI.  That  the  restrictions  imposed  by  several  late  acts  of  parlia- 
ment on  the  trade  of  these  colonies,  will  render  them  unable  to  pur- 
chase the  manufactures  of  Great  Britain. 

XII.  That  the  increase,  prosperity  and  happiness  of  these  colonies, 
depend  on  the  full  and  free  enjoyments  of  their  rights  and  liberties, 
and  an  intercourse  with  Great  Britain  mutually  affectionate  and  ad- 
vantageous. 

XIII.  That  it  is  the  right  of  the  British  subjects  in  these  colonies  to 
petition  the  king,  or  either  house  of  parliament. 

Lastly,  That  it  is  the  indispensible  duty  of  these  colonies  to  the 
best  of  sovereigns,  io  the  mother  country,  and  to  themselves  to  en- 
deavor by  a  loyal  and  dutiful  address  to  his  Majesty,  and  humble 
application  to  both  houses  of  parliament,  to  procure  the  repeal  of 
the  act  for  granting  and  applying  certain  stamp  duties,  of  all  clauses 
of  any  other  acts  of  parliament,  whereby  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
admiralty  is  extended  as>  aforesaid,  and  of  the  other  late  acts  for  the 
restriction  of  American  commerce. 

(Avery,  History  of  the  United  States,  5:401-3) 


ILLUSTRATIVE   DOCUMENTS  307 


CONSTITUTION  OF  ALBANY  SONS  OF  LIBERTY 

1766 

As  in  our  present  distressed  condition,  while  under  the  greatest 
apprehensions  of  yet  threatening  Slavery,  our  surest  refuges  seem 
the  mercies  of  God,  and  our  own  fixed  and  unanimous  resolution  to' 
persevere  to  the  last  in  the  vindication  of  our  dear  bought  Rights  and 
Privileges,  the  very  Essentials  of  our  peerless  Constitution, 
These,  in  the  awful  presence  of  the  Righteous  Jehovah,  serve  to 
bind  us,  the  Subscribers  and  public  Assentors  hereto,  in  the  Articles 
following: — 

A.  1.  That  we  will  choose  from  our  Body  a  Committee  of  thirteen 
men,  who  are  hereby  empowered  to  choose  their  President  and  Clerk, 
to  continue  as  the  Committee  during  good  behavior,  or  till  a  ma- 
jority of  the  Subscribers  think  proper  to  call  for  a  new  choice; 
which,  when  moved,  shall  be  signified  to  the  Clerk  for  the  time  being, 
in  writing,  and  signed  by  at  least  such  number  as  may  be  reasonably 
taken  to  represent  such  majority,  who  shall  thereupon  give  public 
notice  for  a  new  Election,  with  all  convenient  speed. 

A.  2.  That  in  all  matters  relative  to  the  Stamp  act  in  particular; 
or  other  thing  that  shall  be  thought  by  us  unconstitutional  and  op- 
pressive, we  will  make  known  our  grievance  to  some  one  or  more  of 
said  Committee,  who  are  hereby  required  and  directed  to  meet  to- 
gether and  consider  the  same,  and  whereinsoever  they  conceive  it 
necessary  to  have  our  general  advice  and  concurrence,  to  give  us 
public  notice  thereof,  on  which  occasions  we  solemnly  engage  and 
promise  our  attendance. 

A.  3.  That  we  will  countenance  no  step  whatsoever  to  the  disturb- 
ance of  the  public  tranquillity,  nor  private  peace  of  any  man,  nor  en- 
gage in  any  one  matter  or  thing  under  colour  or  pretence  of  the  cause 
of  Liberty,  in  a  separate  and  detached  manner,  or  without  the  advice 
and  consent  of  the  President  and  a  majority  of  the  Committee,  or 
some  one  or  more  person  or  persons  by  them  publicly  appointed  to 
direct;  and  that  in  pursuance  to  all  directions  by  them  given,  we 
will  behave  and  deport  in  the  most  regular  and  orderly  manner, 
aiming  at  nothing  but  the  promotion  and  security  of  the  General 
CAUSE,^but, 

A.  4.  That  we  will,  to  the  utmost  of  our  power,  detect,  oppose, 
and  assist  in  bringing  to  condign  punishment,  any  person  or  persons 
who,  taking  advantage  of  the  public  trouble,  would  make  the  same 


308  THE  AMERICAN   REVOLUTION  IN  NEW  YORK 

a  pretext  to  injure  any  person  in  their  Character  or  Property,  or 
(without  such  precaution  as  above  said)  shall  presume  to  meddle 
with  or  disturb  tumultuously  any  person  or  persons  on  any  pretence 
whatsoever. 

A.  5.  That  we  will  discourage,  discountenance  and  oppose  the 
mean  practice  of  dropping  Letters  on  the  Streets,  setting  up  scand- 
alous Libels,  Verses,  or  any  other  thing  detractive  of  any  person's 
Character,  thereby  to  draw  on  him  or  them  the  public  Odium,  and 
put  his  person  or  property  in  danger:  confiding  that  no  legitimate 
Son  of  Liberty  will  be  either  ashamed  or  afraid  to  forward  his  com- 
mands by  proper  mission,  where  they  may  be  duly  considered  and 
applied. 

A.  6.  That  all  persons  to  whom  these  Articles  shall  be  proposed 
for  their  assent  and  concurrence  to  them,  and  who  shall  neglect 
or  refuse  giving  the  same,  or  proper  and  satisfactory  reasons  foi^ 
such  neglect  or  refusal,  shall  be  considered  by  us  as  cold  Friends  to 
Liberty,  and  treated  accordingly. 

A.  7.  That  we  have  the  highest  esteem  of  his  most  sacred  Majesty, 
King  George  the  third,  the  Sovereign  Protector  of  our  Rights,  and  the 
successional  by  Law  established,  and  will  bear  true  Allegiance  to  him 
and  his  Royal  house  forever. 

A.  8.  That  if  any  person  subscribing  or  publicly  assenting  and  be- 
having agreeable  to  these  Articles  shall  at  any  time  hereafter  for  such 
behaviour  be  arrested,  taken,  prosecuted  by  any  force  civil  or  military, 
within  our  possible  reach,  that  on  notice  of  the  same  we  will  do  the 
uttermost  for  his  or  their  relief  that  our  persons  and  fortunes  enable; 
accounting  the  person  or  persons  denying,  refusing,  or  frivolously 
excusing  himself  therefrom  after  such  subscription  or  assent,  a  per- 
jured Traytor  to  Liberty,  his  King  and  his  Country,  for  the  defence 
of  which  and  true  performance  of  the  above  Articles, — Help  Us  God. 

[94  signatures] 

{The   American    Historian   and   Quarterly 
Genealogical  Record,  1:145-46) 


ILLUSTRATIVE  DOCUMENTS  309 

RESOLUTIONS  OF  NEW  YORK  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY 
December  31,  1768 

The  general  assembly  agrees  to  these  resolutions:  "As  it  is  not  only 
the  common  birthright  of  all  his  Majesty's  subjects,  but  it  is  also 
essential  to  the  preservation  of  the  peace,  strength  and  prosperity  of 
the  British  empire;  that  an  exact  equality  of  constitutional  rights, 
among  all  his  Majesty's  subjects  in  the  several  parts  of  the  empire,  be 
uniformly  and  invariably  maintained  and  supported;  and  as  it  would 
be  inconsistent  with  the  constitutional  rights  of  his  Majesty's  subjects 
in  Great  Britain,  to  tax  them  either  in  person  or  estate,  without  the 
consent  of  their  representatives  in  parliament  assembled.  It  is  there- 
fore, 

"Resolved,  Nemine  Contradicente, 

"That  ...  as  his  most  gracious  Majesty  is  the  common  father  of 
all  his  good  subjects,  dispersed  throughout  the  various  parts  of  the 
British  empire;  And  as  the  commons  of  Great  Britain  in  parliament 
assembled,  do  enjoy  a  constitutional  right  of  humbly  petitioning  his 
Majesty,  as  the  common  father  of  his  people  there,  for  constitutional 
benefits  and  the  redress  of  grievances.  The  representatives  of  this 
colony,  in  general  assembly  convened,  lawfully  may,  and  ought  to 
exercise  the  same  constitutional  right,  when,  and  as  often  as  to  them 
shall  seem  meet. 

"Resolved, 

"That  .  .  .  this  colony  lawfully  and  constitutionally  has  and  enjoys 
an  internal  legislature  of  its  own,  in  which  the  crown  and  the  people 
of  this  colony,  are  constitutionally  represented;  and  that  the  power 
and  authority  of  the  said  legislature,  cannot  lawfully  or  constitu- 
tionally be  suspended,  abridged,  abrogated,  or  annulled  by  any  power, 
authority  or  prerogative  whatsoever,  the  prerogative  of  the  crown 
ordinarily  exercised  for  prorogations  and  dissolutions  only  excepted. 

"Resolved,  Nemine  Contradicente, 

"That  .  .  .  this  house  has  an  undoubted  right,  to  correspond  and 
consult  with  any  of  the  neighboring  colonies,  or  with  any  other  of  his 
Majesty's  subjects  out  of  this  colony,  or  belonging  to  any  part  of  his 
Majesty's  realm  or  dominions,  either  individually  or  collectively  on 
any  matter,  subject  or  thing  whatsoever,  whereby  they  shall  conceive 
the  rights,  liberties,  interests  or  privileges  of  this  house,  or  of  its 
constituents,  are,  or  may  be  affected." 

{Journal  of  the  Votes  and  Proceedings  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Colony  of  New 
York,  1768-69,  page  70-71) 


310  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION   IN  NEW  YORK 

DRAFT  OF  CONSTITUTION  OF  NEW  YORK  SONS  OF 

LIBERTY 

July  7,  1769 

New  York,  July  7,  1769 

At  this  alarming  crisis  when  we  are  threatened  with  a  Deprivation 
of  those  invaluable  Rights,  which  our  Ancestors  purchased  with  their 
Blood — Rights,  which  as  Men,  we  derive  from  Nature;  as  Englishmen, 
have  secured  to  us  by  our  excellent  Constitution;  and  which  once  torn 
from  us,  will  in  all  Probability  never  be  restored.  At  this  important 
Time,  when  we  are  exerting  every  legal  Effort  to  preserve  to  Ourselves 
and  Posterity  the  complete  and  undisturbed  Enjoyment  of  them,  it  is  of 
the  last  Consequence  to  act  with  Vigilance  and  Unanimity.  It  must 
appear  obvious  to  every  unprejudiced  Mind,  that  supineness  would 
prove  as  fatal  to  us,  as  a  Disunion;  and  therefore,  the  more  effectually 
to  guard  against  both  —  A  Number  of  the  Inhabitants  of  this  City, 
have  determined  to  drop  all  Party  Distinction  that  may  have  originated 
from  a  Difference  in  Sentiments  in  other  Matters  —  to  form  Ourselves 
into  a  Society,  under  the  general  and  honorable  Appellation,  of  the 
United  SONS  of  LIBERTY, —  and  strictly  to  adhere  to  the  following 
RESOLUTIONS, 

I.  To  hold  a  general  Meeting  on  the  first  Monday  Evening  in  every 
Month,  at  the  House  of  Mr.  De  La  Montague. 

II.  To  convene  occasionally  if  Circumstances  occur  to  render  it 
necessary. 

III.  That  we  will  Support  the  constitutional  Measures  entered  into 
by  the  Merchants,  Traders,  and  other  Inhabitants  of  this  City. 

IV.  The  grand  Design  of  this  Association  being  to  Support  the 
Measures  entered  into  by  the  Merchants,  Traders,  and  other  Inhabitants 
of  this  City  —  That,  we  will  not  in  any  Manner  whatever  counteract 
the  Designs  of  either  Committee,  but  contribute  to  the  effectual  Execu- 
tion of  them,  by  all  legal  Means  in  our  Power. 

V.  That  we  will  not  .knowingly  purchase  from,  nor  sell,  to  any 
Person  or  Persons  who  shall  violate  the  Non-importation  Agreement. 

VI.  That  we  will  neither  let  Houses  to,  nor  hire  them  from.  That 
we  will  not  employ,  nor  be  employed  by,  nor  in  anywise  hold  Con- 
nection in  Trade  with,  those  who  violate  the  Agreement,  or  with  such 
as  shall  Countenance  their  base  Conduct,  by  dealing  with  them. 

VII.  That  we  do  steadily  and  invariably  pursue  such  Measures,  and 
such  only,  as  shall  appear  best  calculated  to  promote  the  general 
Good  of  the  Colonies.     That  the  sole  End  of  the  United   SONS   of 


ILLUSTRATIVE  DOCUMENTS  311 

LIBERTY,  is  to  secure  their  common  Rights  —  That  the  Object  we 
have  principally  in  View,  is  a  repeal  of  the  Acts  imposing  Duties  on 
Paper.  Glass,  &c.  and  that  we  will  not  as  a  Society  under  the  said 
Appellation,  engage  in  any  other  Matter  whatever. 

N.  B. — The  United  Sons  of  Liberty,  are  to  hold  a  Meeting  on  Mon- 
day Evening  next,  precisely  at  Seven  o'Clock,  at  the  House  of  Mr.  De 
La  Montague;  and  do  hereby  publicly  invite  every  Lover  of  constitu- 
tional Freedom,  to  meet  with  them  at  the  above-mentioned  Time  and 
Place. 

(Broadside  reproduced  in  Stokes, 
Iconography,  4:752) 

THE   "BATTLE   OF   GOLDEN  HILL" 

January  19-20,  1770 

The  hostility  between  soldiers  and  citizens,  which  has  been  increas- 
ing steadily  for  several  days  culminates  in  the  "battle  of  Golden  Hill." 
On  this  day  a  party  of  soldiers  went  about  the  city  nailing  up,  in  con- 
spicuous places,  a  broadside  published  by  them  which  attacked  the 
Sons  of  Liberty  and  lauded  the  conduct  of  the  soldiers.  Isaac  Sears 
and  Walter  Quackenbos  attempted  to  prevent  the  posting  of  one  of 
these  papers  at  the  Fly  Market,  declaring  it  a  libel  against  the  inhabit- 
ants; one  soldier  drew  his  bayonet  and  Mr.  Sears  struck  him  with  a 
"Rams  Horn."  Two  soldiers  were  seized  and  taken  to  the  mayor's 
house,  where  a  number  of  citizens  soon  assembled.  "Shortly  after, 
about  twenty  Soldiers,  with  Cutlasses  and  Bayonets,  from  the  lower 
Barracks  [at  the  Battery],  made  their  Appearance."  At  the  mayor's 
house  the  soldiers  demanded  the  release  of  their  comrades.  Some  of 
them  drew  their  bayonets,  and  the  citizens,  seeing  this,  "ran  to  some 
Sleighs  that  were  near  and  pulled  out  some  of  the  Rungs."  The  mayor, 
now  appearing,  ordered  the  soldiers  to  their  barracks.  They  moved 
away  slowly,  the  citizens  following,  for  it  was  feared  "they  might  offer 
Violence  to  some  of  the  Citizens."  When  they  reached  the  summit  of 
Golden  Hill,  they  were  joined  by  other  soldiers.  This  addition  to  their 
forces  "inspired  them  to  re-insult  the  Magistrates  and  exasperate  the 
Inhabitants."  Upon  one  giving  the  word  of  command,  "Soldiers,  draw 
your  Bayonets  and  cut  your  Way  through  them,"  they  all  shouted 
"Where  are  your  Sons  of  Liberty  now?"  and  fell  upon  the  citizens 
"with  great  Violence,  cutting  and  slashing."  The  citizens  defended 
themselves  as  best  they  could  until  the  arrival  of  enough  of  the  in- 
habitants to  force  the  soldiers  to  disperse.  A  number  of  people  were 
wounded  in  the  struggle,  one  sailor  having  his  head  and  finger  cut,  and 


312  THE  AMERICAN   REVOLUTION   IN  NEW   YORK 

a  Quaker,  his  cheek  slashed.     "Several  of  the  soldiers  that  were  on  the 
Hill  were  much  bruised,  and  one  of  them  badly  hurt." 

There  were  more  encounters  on  the  next  day ;  one  between  soldiers 
and  sailors  was  stopped  only,  after  much  trouble,  by  the  magistrates  and 
citizens;  in  another,  "one  of  the  Citizens  was  wounded  in  the  Face, 
and  had  two  of  his  Teeth  broke  by  a  Stroke  of  a  Bayonet:  A  Soldier 
received  a  bad  Cut  on  the  Shoulder." 

(Stokes,  Iconography,  4:803,  based  on  A^.  Y. 
Post-Boy,  Feb.  5,  1770.) 

INVITATION  TO  NEW  YORK'S  TEA  PARTY 

April  21,  1774 

To  the  Public,  The  sense  of  the  city,  relative  to  the  landing  the  East 
India  Company's  tea,  being  signified  to  Captain  Lockyer,  by  the  com- 
mittee, nevertheless,  it  is  the  desire  of  a  number  of  the  citizens,  that  at 
his  departure  from  hence  he  should  see,  with  his  own  eyes,  their  de- 
testation of  the  measures  pursued  by  the  Ministry  and  the  India  Com- 
pany, to  enslave  this  country.  This  will  be  declared  by  the  convention, 
&  the  people  at  his  departure  from  this  city  which  will  be  on  next 
Saturday  morning,  at  9  o'clock,  when  no  doubt  every  friend  to  this 
country  will  attend.  The  bells  will  give  the  notice  about  an  hour  be- 
fore'he  embarks  from  Murray's  Wharf.  New  York,  April  21,  1774. 
By  Order  of  the  Committee. 

{Rivingtons  Gazetteer,  April  28,  1774) 

CONTEMPORARY  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  TEA  PARTY 

April  22,  1774 

About  4  P.  M.  the  ship  came  to  the  wharf,  when  she  was  boarded  by 
a  number  of  the  citizens.  Capt.  Chambers  was  interrogated  relative  to 
his  having  the  tea  on  board,  but  he  still  denied  it.  He  was  then  told 
that  it  was  in  vain  to  deny  it,  for  as  there  was  good  proof  of  its  being 
on  board,  it  would  be  found,  as  there  were  committees  appointed  to 
open  every  package,  and  that  he  had  better  be  open  and  candid  about 
it;  and  demanded  the  cocket  for  the  tea;  upon  which  he  confessed  it 
was  on  board,  and  delivered  the  cocket.  The  owners  and  the  commit- 
tee immediately  met  at  Mr  Francis's,  where  Captain  Chambers  was 
ordered  to  attend.  Upon  examining  him  who  was  the  shipper  and 
owner  of  the  tea?  he  declared  that  he  was  sole  owner  of  it.  After  the 
most  mature  deliberation,  it  was  determined  to  communicate  the  whole 
gtate  of  the  matter  to  the  people,  who  were  convened  near  the  ship; 


ILLUSTRATIVE  DOCUMENTS  313 

which  was  accordingly  done.  The  Mohawks  were  prepared  to  do  their 
duty  at  a  proper  hour;  but  the  body  of  the  people  were  so  impatient, 
that  before  it  arrived,  a  number  of  them  entered  the  ship,  about  8 
P.  M.  took  out  the  tea.  which  was  at  hand,  broke  the  cases,  and  started 
their  contents  into  the  river,  without  doing  any  damage  to  the  ship  or 
cargo.  Several  persons  of  reputation  were  placed  below  to  keep  tally, 
and  about  the  companion  to  prevent  ill-disposed  persons  from  going 
below  the  deck. 

At  10  the  people  all  dispersed  in  good  order,  but  in  great  wrath 
against  the  Captain;  and  it  was  not  without  some  risque  of  his  life  that 
he  escaped. 

{Rivingtons  Gazetteer,  April  28,  1774) 

NEW  YORK  COMMITTEE   SUGGESTS   A   "GENERAL 
CONGRESS  " 

May  15,  1774 

Last  Thursday  Capt.  Coupar  arrived  from  London  in  27  days  .  .  . 
By  him  we  have  received  the  shocking  and  detestable  Act  of  Parlia- 
ment, that  shuts  up  your  Port  the  first  of  June  .  .  .  We  want  Language 
to  express  our  Abhorrence  of  this  additional  Act  of  Tyranny  to  Amer- 
ica; we  clearly  see  that  she  is  to  be  attacked  and  enslaved  by  distress- 
ing and  subduing  you  ...  we  are  persuaded  that  the  sensible  People 
of  the  Town  of  Boston  anticipate  the  Object  of  the  late  Act,  in  all  it's 
dire  extent;  and  therefore  that  a  Compliance  with  the  Provisos  of  it 
will  only  be  a  Temporary  Relief  from  a  particular  Evil;  which  will 
and  must  end  in  a  more  general  Calamity.  Impressed  with  this,  a 
great  number  of  our  citizens  wish  our  Port  to  be  in  the  same  State  with 
yours.  And  as  the  Ministry  have  put  it  out  of  your  Power,  to  con- 
tinue your  Trade  with  Great  Britain,  we  have  stimulated  the  Merchants 
to  appoint  a  Meeting  tomorrow  evening  at  seven  o'clock  to  agree  upon 
a  general  Non-importation,  and  Non-exportation  Agreement  of  Goods, 
to  and  from  Great  Britain,  untill  the  American  Grievances  are  redressed; 
under  such  Regulations  as  may  be  agreed  upon  by  Committees  from  the 
Principal  Towns  on  the  Continent,  to  meet  in  a  general  Congress  to  be 
held  here  for  that  Purpose;  and  also  to  stop  the  Exportation  of  all 
Hoops,  Staves,  Heading  and  Lumber  to  the  English  Islands:  And  to 
suffer  no  more  of  the  first  Articles  to  be  exported  to  the  foreign  islands 
than  will  be  sufiicient  to  bring  home  the  Sugar,  Rum  and  Molasses  for 
the  Return  of  American  Cargoes.  .  .  .  We  can  with  great  Truth  assure 
you,  that  many  timid  and  selfish  People  in  this  City,  who  have  interested 
themselves  but  very  little  in  the  controversy  with  Great  Britain,  ex- 


314  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION  IN  NEW  YORK 

pressed  the  greatest  Indignation  and  Resentment  at  the  Conduct  of  the 
Ministry  to  your  Town,  and  consider  the  Treatment  to  it,  as  if  done 
immediately  to  this  City.  And  this  is  the  General  Sense  of  our  In- 
habitants, which  we  judged  necessary  should  be  communicated  to  you; 
even  in  this  hasty  incoherent  Manner.  We  have  no  Tim.e  to  send  this 
to  other  Members  of  the  Committee,  for  Reasons,  which  the  Express, 
Mr  Cornelius  Bradford,  will  inform  you.  He  is  a  true  Friend  to  the 
Liberties  of  this  Country  and  will  wait  your  directions  for  his  Return. 
(Stokes,  Iconography,  4:853,  from  copy  of  the 
letter  preserved  in  New  York  Public  Library) 

PALATINE    DISTRICT,    TRYON    COUNTY,    ORGANIZES    A 
REVOLUTIONARY  COMMITTEE 

August  7,  1774 

rr,  (■  WHEREAS  the  Brittish  Parliament  has  lately  passed  an 

Iryon         I 

Act  for  raising  a  Revenue  in  America  without  the   Consent  of  our 

Representative     to      abridging     the     Liberties      and     privileges      of 

the  American  Colonies  and  therefore  blocking  up  the  port  of  Boston; 

the  Freeholders  and  Inhabitants  of  Palatine  Dist.,  in  the  County  of 

Tryon  aforesaid,  looking  with  concern  and  heartfull  sorrow    on  these 

Allarming  and  calamitous  Conditions,  Do  meet  this  27th  day  of  August, 

1774.    On  that  purpose  at  the  house  of  Adam  Loucks  Esq.r  at  Stonear- 

abia,   and  concluded  the  Resolves   following:   Vizt.   I.)      That  King 

George  the  Third  is  Lawful  and  Rightful  Lord  and  Sovereign  of  Great 

Britain  and  the  Dominions  thereto  belonging,  and  that  as  Part  of  his 

Dominion    We    hereby    testify,    that    We    will    bear    true    Faith    and 

Allegiance  unto  him,  and  that  we  Will  with  our  Lives  and  Fortunes 

support  and  maintain  him  upon  the  Throne  of  His  Ancestors  and  the 

just    Dependence    of   these    his    Colonies    upon    the    Crown    of    Great 

Britain  — 

II.)  That  we  think  and  consider  it  as  our  greatest  Happiness  to  be 
governed  by  the  Laws  of  Great  Britain,  and  that  with  Chearfulness  We 
will  always  pay  Submission  thereunto,  as  far  as  we  consistently  can, 
with  the  Security  of  the  Constitutional  Rights  and  Liberties  of  English 
Subjects,  which  are  so  sacred,  that  we  cannot  permit  the  same  to  be 
violated  — 

HI.)  That  We  think  it  is  our  undeniable  Privilege  to  be  taxed  only 
with  our  own  Consent  given  by  ourselves  (or  by  our  Representative). 
That  Taxes  otherwise  laid  and  exacted  are  unjust  and  unconstitutional. 


ILLUSTRATIVE  DOCUMENTS  315 

That  the  Late  Acts  of  Parliament  declarative  of  their  Right  of  laying 
internal  Taxes  on  the  American  Colonies  are  obvious  Incroachment  in 
the  Rights  and  Liberties  of  the  British  Subjects  in  America  — 

IV.)  That  the  Act  for  blocking  up  the  Port  of  Boston  is  oppressive 
and  arbitrary,  injurious  in  its  principles  and  particularly  oppressive 
to  the  Inhabitants  of  Boston,  who  we  consider  as  Brethren  suffering  in 
the  Common  Cause  — 

V.)  That  We  will  unite  and  join  with  the  different  Districts  of  this 
County,  in  giving  whatever  Relief  it  is  in  our  power  to  the  poor  dis- 
tressed Inhabitants  of  Boston,  and  that  we  will  join  and  unite  with  our 
Brethren  of  the  Rest  of  the  Colony  in  anything  tending  to  support  and 
defend  our  Rights  and  Liberties  — 

VI.)  That  we  think  the  sending  of  Delegates  from  the  different 
Colonies  to  a  general  Continental  Congress  is  a  Salutary  Measure,  and 
absolutely  necessary  at  this  alarming  Crisis,  and  that  we  intirely  ap- 
prove of  the  five  Gentlemen  chosen  Delegates  for  this  Colony  by  our 
Brethren  of  N.  York,  hereby  adopting  and  choosing  the  same  persons 
to  represent  this  Colony  at  the  Congress  — 

VII.)  That  We  hereby  engage  faithfully  to  abide  by  and  adhere  to 
such  Restrictions  and  Regulations,  as  shall  be  made  and  agreed  upon 
by  the  said  Congress  — 

VIII.)  That  we  conceive  it  necessary,  that  there  be  appointed  a  stand- 
ing committee  of  this  County,  to  correspond  with  the  Committees  of 
N.  York  and  Albany,  and  we  do  hereby  appoint 

Christopher  P.  Yates 
Isaac  Paris 
John  Frey  & 
Andrew  Finck  jun.r 

who  together  with  persons  to  be  appointed  by  the  other  District  of  this 
County  shall  compose  a  Committee  of  Correspondence  to  convey  the 
sentiments  of  this  County  in  a  Sett  of  Resolves  to  New  York  — 

IX.)  It  is  voted  by  this  meeting,  that  Copies  of  the  proceeding  of 
this  Day  certified  by  the  chairman  be  transmitted  to  the  Supervisors  of 
the  different  Districts  of  this  County.— And  we  recommend  it  to  the 
Inhabitants  of  the  said  Districts  to  appoint  persons  to  compose  also  a 
Committee   of   Correspondence — 

{Minute  Book  of  the  Committee  of 
Safety  of  Try  on  County,  1-4) 
11 


316  THE  AMERICAN   REVOLUTION   IN   NEW   YORK 

PROVINCIAL  CONGRESS  CALLED  BY  THE  NEW  YORK 
CITY  COMMITTEE 

April  28,  1775 

CIRCULAR 

Committee  Chamber,  New  York,  April  28,  1775 
Gentlemen, 

The  distressed  and  alarming  situation  of  our  Country,  occasioned 
by  the  sanguinary  measures  adopted  by  the  British  Ministry,  (to  en- 
force which,  the  Sword  has  been  actually  drawn  against  our  brethren 
in  the  Massachusetts),  threatening  to  involve  this  Continent  in  all  the 
horrors  of  a  civil  War,  obliges  us  to  call  for  the  united  aid  and  council 
of  the  Colony,  at  this  dangerous  crisis. 

Most  of  the  Deputies  who  composed  the  late  Provincial  Congress, 
held  in  this  City,  were  only  vested  with  powers  to  chose  Delegates  to 
represent  the  Province  at  the  next  Continental  Congress,  and  the  Con- 
vention having  executed  that  trust  dissolved  themselves:  It  is  therefore 
thought  advisable  by  this  Committee,  that  a  Provincial  Congress  be  im- 
mediately summoned  to  deliberate  upon,  and  from  time  to  time  to 
direct  such  measures  as  may  be  expedient  for  our  common  safety. 

We  persuade  ourselves,  that  no  arguments  can  now  be  wanting  to 
evince  the  necessity  of^a  perfect  union;  and  we  know  of  no  method  in 
which  the  united  sense  of  the  people  of  the  province  can  be  collected, 
but  the  one  now  proposed.  We  therefore  entreat  your  County  heartily 
to  unite  in  the  choice  of  proper  persons  to  represent  them  at  a  Pro- 
vincial Congress  to  he  held  in  this  City  on  the  22d  of  May  next, — 
Twenty  Deputies  are  proposed  for  this  City,  and  in  order  to  give  the 
greater  weight  and  influence  to  the  councils  of  the  Congress,  we 
could  wish  the  number  of  Deputies  from  the  counties,  may  be  consider- 
able. 

We  can  assure  you,  that  the  appointmnt  of  a  Provincial  Congress, 
approved  of  by  the  inhabitants  of  this  city  in  general,  is  the  most 
proper  and  salutary  measure  that  can  be  adopted  in  the  present  melan- 
choly state  of  this  Continent;  and  we  shall  be  happy  to  find,  that  our 
brethren  in  the  different  Counties  concur  with  us  in  opinion. 

By  order  of  the  Committee, 
ISAAC  LOW,  Chairman. 

(Calendar  of  Historical  Manuscripts   relating  to  the 
War  of  the  Revolution,  1:4) 


ILLUSTRATIVE  DOCUMENTS  317 

THE  GENERAL  ASSOCIATION 

Goshen,  Orange  County,  April  29th,  1775. 

A  General  Association,  agreed  to,  and  subscribed  by  the  Freeholders, 
and  Inhabitants  of  the  County  of  Orange  in  the  Province  of  New  York. 

Persuaded  that  the  salvation  of  the  Rights  and  Liberties  of  America, 
depends  under  God,  on  the  firm  union  of  its  inhabitants,  in  a  vigorous 
prosecution  of  the  measures  necessary  for  its  safety,  and  convinced  of 
the  necessity  of  preventing  the  anarchy  and  confusion  which  attend  a 
disolution  of  the  powers  of  Government,  WE  the  Freemen,  Freeholders, 
and  Inhabitants  of  the  County  of  Orange  being  greatly  alarmed  at  the 
avowed  design  of  the  Ministry,  to  raise  a  revenue  in  America,  and 
shocked  by  the  bloody  scene  now  acting  in  the  Massachusetts-Bay,  DO 
in  the  most  solemn  manner  resolve  never  to  become  Slaves,  and  do 
associate  under  all  the  ties  of  Religion,  Honour  and  Love  to  our 
Country,  to  adopt  and  endeavour  to  carry  into  execution  whatever 
measures  may  be  recommended  by  the  Continental  Congress  or  resolved 
upon  by  this  Provincial  Congress  for  the  purpose  of  preserving  our 
Constitution,  and  opposing  the  execution  of  tKe  several  arbitrary  and 
oppressive  acts  of  the  British  Parliament,  until  a  reconciliation  between 
Great-Britain  and  America,  on  constitutional  principles,  (which  we 
most  ardently  desire,)  can  be  obtained;  and  that  we  will  in  all  things, 
follow  the  advice  of  our  respective  Committees,  respecting  the  purposes 
aforesaid,  the  preservation  of  Peace,  and  good  order,  and  the  safety  of 
individuals  and  private  Property. 

[Names  of  sixty-one  signers  and  two  nonsigners  given] 

{Calendar  of  Historical  Manuscripts  relating  to  the 
War  of  the  Revolution,  1:5) 

PROVINCIAL  CONGRESS  ORDERS  ALL  PERSONS  TO  SIGN 
THE  GENERAL  ASSOCIATION 

May  29,  1775 

The  draft  of  a  resolve  reported  by  the  committee  appointed  for  that 
purpose,  recommending  the  choosing  of  committees  and  subcommittees 
and  signing  the  association,  being  read  and  amended,  was  approved, 
agreed  to  and  resolved,  and  is  in  the  words  following,  to  wit: 

Resolved,  That  it  be  recommended,  and  it  is  hereby  accordingly 
recommended  to  all  the  counties  in  this  Colony,  (who  have  not  already 
done  it,)  to  appoint  county  committees,  and  also  sub-committees  for 
their  respective  townships,  precincts  and  districts,  without  delay,  in 
order  to  carry  into  execution  the  resolutions  of  the  Continental  and 
this  Provincial   Congress- 


318  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION  IN  NEW  YORK 

And  that  it  is  also  recommended  to  every  inhabitant  of  this  Colony, 
who  has  hitherto  neglected  to  subscribe  the  general  Association,  to  do  it 
with  all  convenient  speed.  And  for  these  purposes  that  the  commit- 
tees in  the  respective  counties  in  which  committees  have  been  formed, 
do  tender  the  said  Association  to  every  inhabitant  within  the  several 
districts  in  each  county.  And  that  such  persons  in  those  counties  or 
districts,  who  have  not  appointed  committees  as  shall  be  appointed  by 
the  members  of  this  Congress,  representing  such  counties  and  districts 
respectively,  do  make  such  tender  as  aforesaid  in  such  counties  and 
districts  respectively;  and  that  the  said  committees  and  persons  respec- 
tively do  return  the  said  Association  and  the  names  of  those  who  shall 
neglect  or  refuse  to  sign  the  same,  to  this  Congress,  by  the  fifteenth  day 
of  July  next,  or  sooner,  if  possible. 

{Journals  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  1:18) 


PROVINCIAL  CONGRESS  ASSUMES  POWER  OF  TAXATION 

June  24,  1775 

That  from  the  necessity  of  the  case,  Britain  ought  to  regulate  the 
trade  of  the  whole  Empire. 

That  from  the  natural  right  of  property,  the  powers  of  taxation 
ought  to  be  confined  to  the  Colony  Legislatures  respectively:  Therefore, 

That  the  moneys  raised  as  duties  upon  the  regulations  of  trade, 
ought  to  be  paid  into  the  respective  Colony  treasuries,  and  be  subject  to 
the  disposal  of  their  assemblies. 

Debates  arose  thereon,  and  the  question  being  put,  whether  the  Con- 
gress does  agree  to  the  said  2nd,  3rd  and  4th  paragraphs  [above],  it 
was  carried  in  the  affirmative,  in  manner  following,  to  wit: 

For  the  affirmative  For  the  negative 

Albany 3      Suffolk 2 

Dutchess 2      Ulster 2 

Westchester   2      Cumberland 2 

Kings    2  — 

Tryon    2  6 

Richmond    2  Dissentients — Colo.     Woodhull, 

Queens    2      Mr  Sacket,  Mr  Sears,  Mr    Scott, 

New  York   4      Mr  Brasher,  Mr  Beekman 

Orange 2 

Charlotte   2 

23 

{Journals  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  1:52) 


ILLUSTRATIVE   DOCUMENTS  319 


NEW  YORK  VIRTUALLY  DECLARES  INDEPENDENCE 

May  27,  1776 

The  order  of  the  day  being  read,  Congress  proceeded  to  hear  the 
report  of  the  committee  on  the  resolution  of  Continental  Congress  of 
the  (15th  May,)  relating  to  a  new  form  of  government;  the  same  was 
read,  and  being  again  read  by  paragraphs,  is  in  the  words  following, 
to  wit: 

"That  your  committee  are  of  opinion  that  the  right  of  framing, 
creating,  or  new  modeling  civil  government,  is,  and  ought  to  be,  in  the 
people. 

"2dly.  That  as  the  present  form  of  government,  by  Congress  and 
Committees  in  this  Colony,  originated  from,  so  it  depends  on,  the  free 
and  uncontrolled  choice  of  the  inhabitants  thereof. 

"3dly.  That  the  said  form  of  government  was  instituted  while  the 
old  form  of  government  still  subsisted,  and  therefore  is  necessarily 
subject  to  many  defects  which  could  not  then  be  remedied  by  any  new 
institutions. 

"4thly.  That  by  the  voluntary  abdication  of  the  late  Governor  Tryon, 
the  dissolution  of  our  Assembly  for  want  of  due  prorogation,  and  the 
open  and  unwarrantable  hostilities  committed  against  the  persons  and 
property  of  the  inhabitants  of  all  the  United  Colonies  in  North  Amer- 
ica by  the  British  fleets  and  armies,  under  the  authority  and  by  the 
express  direction  and  appointment  of  the  King,  Lords  and  Commons 
of  Great  Britain,  the  said  old  form  of  government  is  become,  ipso  facto, 
dissolved;  whereby  it  hath  become  absolutely  necessary  for  the  good 
people  of  this  Colony  to  institute  a  new  and  regular  form  of  internal 
government  and  police.  The  supreme  legislative  and  executive  power 
in  which  should,  for  the  present,  wholly  reside  and  he  within  this 
Colony,  in  exclusion  of  all  foreign  and  external  power,  authority, 
dominion,  jurisdiction  and  preeminence  whatsoever. 

"5thly.  That  doubts  have  arisen,  whether  this  Congress  are  invested 
with  sufficient  authority  to  frame  and  institute  such  new  form  of 
internal  government  and  police. 

"6thly.  That  tho§e  doubts  can  and  of  right  ought  to  be  removed  by 
the  good  people  of  this  Colony  only. 

"7thly.  That  until  such  new  form  of  internal  police  and  government 
be  constitutionally  established,  or  until  the  expiration  of' the  term  for 
which  this  Congress  was  elected,  this  Congress  ought  to  continue  in 
the  full  exercise  of  their  present  authority,  and  in  the  meantime  ought 
to  give  the  good  people  of  each  several  and  respective  county  in  this 


320  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION  IN  NEW  YORK 

Colony,  full  opportunity  to  remove  the  said  doubts,  either  by  declar- 
ing their  respective  representatives  in  this  Congress,  in  conjunction 
with  the  representatives  of  the  other  counties  respectively,  competent 
for  the  purpose  of  establishing  such  new  form  of  internal  police  and 
government,  and  adding  to  their  number,  if  they  shall  think  proper, 
or  by  electing  others  in  the  stead  of  the  present  members,  or  any  or 
either  of  them,  and  increasing  (if  they  should  deem  it  necessary)  the 
number  of  deputies  from  each  county,  with  the  like  powers 
as  are  now  vested  in  this  Congress,  and  with  express  authority  to  in- 
stitute and  establish  such  new  and  internal  form  of  government  and 
police  as  aforesaid. 

"8thly.  That,  therefore,  this  House  takes  some  order  to  be  publicly 
notified  throughout  the  several  counties  in  this  Colony,  whereby  the 
inhabitants  of  each  c(Jlinty  respectively,  on  a  given  day  to  be  appointed 
in  each  of  them  respectively  by  this  Congress  for  the  purpose,  may,  by 
plurality  of  voices,  either  confirm  their  present  representatives  respec- 
tively in  this  Congress  in  their  present  powers,  and  with  express  au- 
thority, in  conjunction  with  the  representatives  in  this  Congress  for 
the  other  counties,  to  institute  a  new  internal  form  of  government  and 
police  for  this  Colony,  suited  to  the  present  critical  emergency,  and  to 
continue  in  full  force  and  effect  until  a  future  peace  with  Great  Britain 
shall  render  the  same  unnecessary,  or  elect  new  members  for  that  pur- 
pose, to  take  seats  in  Congress  in  the  place  of  those  members  respec- 
tively who  shall  not  be  so  confirmed.  The  whole  number  to  be  capable 
cf  such  addition  or  increase  in  each  respective  county,  as  aforesaid. 

"By  order  of  the  committee." 
"HENRY  REMSEN,  Chairman" 

The   said   report    being   considered,    was   accepted. 

(Journals  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  1:462—63) 


LETTER  OF  NEW  YORK  DELEGATES  ON  INDEPENDENCE 

July  2,  1776 

Philadelphia  2d  July  1776. 
Gentlemen 

The  important  Question  of  Indepency  [sic]  was  agitated  yesterday 
in  a  Committee  of  the  whole  Congress,  and  this  Day  will  be  finally 
determined  in  the  House.  We  know  the  Line  of  our  Conduct  on  this 
Occassion;  we  have  your  Instructions,  and  will  faithfully  pursue  them. 


ILLUSTRATIVE  DOCUMENTS  321 

New  Doubts  and  Difficulties  however  will  arise  should  Independency 
be  declared;  and  that  it  will  not,  we  have  not  the  least  Reason  to  ex- 
pect nor  do  we  believe  that  (if  any)  more  than  one  Colony  (and  the 
Delegates  of  that  divided)  will  vote  against  the  Question;  every  Colony 
(ours  only  excepted)  having  withdrawn  their  former  Instructions,  and 
either  positively  instructed  their  Delegates  to  vote  for  Independency; 
or  concur  in  such  Vote  if  they  shall  judge  it  expedient.  What  Part  are 
we  to  act  after  this  Event  takes  Place;  every  Act  we  join  in  may  then 
be  considered  as  in  some  Measure  acceding  to  the  Vote  of  Inde- 
pendency, and  binding  our  Colony  on  that  Score.  Indeed  many  mat- 
ters in  this  new  Situation  may  turn  up  in  which  the  Propriety  of  our 
voting  may  be  very  doubtful;  tho  we  conceive  (considering  the  critical 
Situation  of  Public  Affairs  and  as  they  respect  our  Colony  in  particular 
invaded  or  soon  likely  to  be  by  Powerful  Armies  in  different  Quarters) 
it  is  our  Duty  nay  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  we  should  not  only 
concur  with  but  exert  ourselves  in  forwarding  our  millitary  Operations. 
The  immediate  safety  of  the  Colony  calls  for  and  will  warrant  us  in 
this.  Our  situation  is  singular  and  delicate  No  other  Colony  being 
similarly  circumstanced  with  whom  we  can  consult.  We  wish  there- 
fore for  your  earliest  Advice  and  Instructions  whether  we  are  to  con- 
sider our  Colony  bound  by  the  Vote  of  the  Majority  in  Favor  of  Inde- 
pency  and  vote  at  large  on  such  Questions  as  may  arise  in  Consequence 
thereof  or  only  concur  in  such  Measures  as  may  be  absolutely  neces- 
sary for  the  Common  safety  and  defence  of  America  exclusive  of  the 
Idea  of  Indepency.  We  fear  it  will  be  difficult  to  draw  the  Line;  but 
once  possessd  of  your  Instructions  we  will  use  our  best  Endeavours 
to  follow  them. 

We  are  with  the  greatest  Respect  your 

Most  Obedt  Servts. 
Geo   Clinton. 
Henry  Wisner. 
John  Alsop. 
Wm.  Floyd.  Eras.  Lewis. 

To  the  Honble 

The  Provinceal  Congress  of  New  York 

(Burnett,  Letters  of  Members  of  the  Cont.  Cong.  1:524) 


322  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION  IN  NEW  YORK 


NEW  YORK  RATIFIES  THE  DECLARATION  OF 
INDEPENDENCE 

July  9,  1776 

At  a  meeting  of  a  Provincial  Congress  for  the  Province  of  New  York, 
at  the  Court  House,  in  the  town  of  White  Plains,  in  the  county  of  West- 
chester, on  Tuesday,  9th  July,  1776, 

*  *     *  *      *     * 

A  letter  from  the  Delegates  of  this  Colony  at  Continental  Congress 
enclosing  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  was  received  and  read, 

*  *     *  *     *     * 

The  Declaration  of  Independence  enclosed  in  the  above  mentioned 
letter,  was  then  read,  and  is  in  the  words  following,  that  is  to  say: 

In  Congress,  July  4th,  1776. 

A  Declaration  by  the  Representatives  of  the  United  States  of  Amer- 
ica, in  General  Congress  assembled. 

When  in  the  Course  of  human  events  it  becomes  necessary  for  one 
people  to  dissolve  the  political  bands  which  have  connected  them  with 
another,  and  to  assume  among  the  powers  of  the  earth,  the  separate  and 
equal  station  to  which  the  Laws  of  Nature  and  of  Nature's  God  entitles 
them,  a  decent  respect  to  the  opinions  of  mankind  requires  that  they 
should  declare  the  causes  which  impel  them  to  the  separation. 

We  hold  these  truths  to  be  self-evident,  that  all  men  are  created 
equal,  that  they  are  endowed  by  their  Creator  with  certain  unalienable 
Rights,  that  among  these  are  Life,  Liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  Happi- 
ness, That  to  secure  these  rights,  Governments  are  instituted  among 
Men,  deriving  their  just  powers  from  the  consent  of  the  governed. 
That  whenever  any  Form  of  Government  becomes  destructive  of  these 
ends,  it  is  the  Right  of  the  People  to  alter  or  to  abolish  it,  and  to 
institute  new  Government,  laying  its  foundation  on  such  principles  and 
organizing  its  powers  in  such  form,  as  to  them  shall  seem  most  likely  to 
effect  their  Safety  and  Happiness.  Prudence,  indeed,  will  dictate  that 
Governments  long  established  should  not  be  changed  for  light  and 
transient  causes;  and  accordingly  all  experience  hath  shewn,  that  man- 
kind are  more  disposed  to  suffer,  while  evils  are  sufferable,  than  to 
right  themselves  by  abolishing  the  forms  to  which  they  are  accustomed. 
But  when  a  long  train  of  abuses  and  usurpations,  pursuing  invariably 
the  same  Object  evinces  a  design  to  reduce  them  under  absolute 
Despotism,  it  is  their  right,  it  is  their  duty,  to  throw  off  such  Govern- 
ment, and  to  provide  new  Guards  for  their  future  security.     Such  has 


ILLUSTRATIVE  DOCUMENTS  323 

been  the  patient  sufferance  of  these  Colonies;  and  such  is  now  the  neces- 
sity which  constrains  them  to  alter  their  former  Systems  of  Government. 
The  history  of  the  present  King  of  Great  Britain  is  a  history  of  re- 
peated injuries  and  usurpations,  all  having  in  direct  object  the  establish- 
ment of  an  absolute  Tryanny  over  these  States.  To  prove  this,  let  Facts 
he  submitted  to  a  candid  world. 

He  has  refused  his  Assent  to  Laws,  the  most  wholesome  and  neces- 
sary for  the  public  good. 

He  has  forbidden  his  Governors  to  pass  Laws  of  immediate  and 
pressing  importance,  unless  suspended  in  their  operation  till  his  Assent 
should  be  obtained;  and  when  so  suspended,  he  has  utterly  neglected 
to  attend  to  them. 

He  has  refused  to  pass  other  Laws  for  the  accommodation  of  large 
districts  of  people,  unless  those  people  would  relinquish  the  right  of 
Representation  in  the  Legislature,  a  right  inestimable  to  them  and 
formidable  to  tyrants  only. 

He  has  called  together  legislative  bodies  at  places  unusual,  uncom- 
fortable, and  distant  from  the  repository  of  their  Records,  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  fatiguing  them  into  compliance  with  his  measures. 

He  has  dissolved  Representative  Houses  repeatedly,  for  opposing  with 
manly  firmness  his  invasions  on  the  rights  of  the  people. 

He  has  refused  for  a  long  time,  after  such  dissolutions,  to  cause 
others  to  be  elected;  whereby  the  Legislative  powers,  incapable  of 
Annihilation,  have  returned  to  the  People  at  large  for  their  exercise; 
the  State  remaining  in  the  meantime  exposed  to  all  the  dangers  of  in- 
vasion from  without,  and  convulsions  within. 

He  has  endeavored  to  prevent  the  population  of  these  States;  for 
that  purpose  obstructing  the  Laws  for  Naturalization  of  Foreigners; 
refusing  to  pass  others  to  encourage  their  migrations  hither,  and  rais- 
ing the  conditions  of  new  Appropriations  of  Lands. 

He  has  obstructed  the  Administration  of  Justice,  by  refusing  his 
Assent  to  Laws  for  establishing  Judiciary  Powers. 

He  has  made  Judges  dependent  on  his  Will  alone,  for  the  tenure  of 
their  offices,  and  the  amount  and  payment  of  their  salaries. 

He  has  erected  a  multitude  of  New  Offices,  and  sent  hither  swarms  of 
Officers  to  harass  our  people,  and  eat  out  their  substance. 

He  has  kept  among  us,  in  times  of  peace.  Standing  Armies  without 
the  Consent  of  our  legislature. 

He  has  affected  to  render  the  Military  independent  of  and  superior  to 
the  Civil  power. 

He  has  combined  with  others  to  subject  us  to  a  jurisdiction  foreign 
to  our  constitution,  and  unacknowledged  by  our  laws;  giving  his  Assent 
to  their  Acts  of  pretended  Legislation: 


324  THE   AMERICAN   REVOLUTION   IN   NEW   YORK 

For  quartering  large  bodies  of  armed  troops  among  us: 

For  protecting  them,  by  a  mock  Trial,  from  punishment  for  any 
Murders  which  they  should  commit  on  the  Inhabitants  of  these  States: 

For  cutting  off  our  Trade  with  all  parts  of  the  world: 

For  imposing  Taxes  on  us  without  our  Consent: 

For  depriving  us  in  many  cases,  of  the  benefits  of  Trial  by  jury: 

For  transporting  us  beyond  Seas  to  be  tried  for  pretended  offences: 

For  abolishing  the  free  System  of  English  Laws  in  a  neighboring 
Province,  establishing  therein  an  Arbitrary  government,  and  enlarging 
its  Boundaries  so  as  to  render  it  at  once  an  example  and  fit  instrument 
for  introducing  the  same  absolute  rule  into  these  Colonies: 

For  taking  away  our  Charters,  abolishing  our  most  valuable  Laws, 
and  altering  fundamentally  the  Forms  of  our  Governments: 

For  suspending  our  own  Legislatures,  and  declaring  themselves  in- 
vested with  power  to  legislate  for  us  in  all  cases  whatsoever. 

He  has  abdicated  Government  here,  by  declaring  us  out  of  his  Pro- 
tection and  waging  War  against  us. 

He  has  plundered  our  seas,  ravaged  our  Coasts,  burnt  our  towns,  and 
destroyed  the  lives  of  our  people. 

He  is  at  this  time  transporting  large  Armies  of  foreign  Mercenaries 
to  compleat  the  works  of  death,  desolation  and  tyranny,  already  begun 
with  circumstances  of  Cruelty  &  perfidy  scarcely  paralleled  in  the  most 
barbarous  ages,  and  totally  unworthy  the  Head  of  a  civilized  nation. 

He  has  constrained  our  fellow-Citizens  taken  captive  on  the  high 
Seas  to  bear  Arms  against  their  Country,  to  become  the  executioners  of 
their  friends  and  Brethren,  or  to  fall  themselves  by  their  Hands. 

He  has  excited  domestic  insurrections  amongst  us,  and  has  endeavored 
to  bring  on  the  inhabitants  of  our  frontiers,  the  merciless  Indian 
Savages,  whose  known  rule  of  warfare,  is  an  undistinguished  destruc- 
tion of  all  ages,  sexes  and  conditions. 

In  every  stage  of  these  Oppressions  We  have  Petitioned  for  Redress 
in  the  most  humble  terms:  Our  repeated  Petitions  have  been  answered 
only  by  repeated  injury.  A  Prince,  whose  character  is  thus  marked  by 
every  act  which  many  define  a  Tyrant,  is  unfit  to  be  the  ruler  of  a  free 
people. 

Nor  have  We  been  wanting  in  attentions  to  our  British  brethren. 
We  have  warned  them  from  time  to  time  of  attempts  by  their  legislature 
to  extend  an  unwarrantable  jurisdiction  over  us.  We  have  reminded 
them  of  the  circumstances  of  our  emigration  and  settlement  here.  We 
have  appealed  to  their  native  justice  and  magnanimity,  and  we  have 
conjured  them  by  the  ties  of  our  common  kindred  to  disavow  these 
usurpations,   which   would   inevitably   interrupt   our   connections   and 


ILLUSTRATIVE   DOCUMENTS  325 

correspondence.  They  too  have  been  deaf  to  the  voice  of  justice  and  of 
consanguinity.  We  must,  therefore,  acquiesce  in  the  necessity,  which 
denounces  our  Separation,  and  hold  them,  as  we  hold  the  rest  of  man- 
kind, Enemies  in  War,  in  Peace  Friends. 

WE,  THEREFORE,  the  Representatives  of  the  United  States  of 
America,  in  General  Congress,  Assembled,  appealing  to  the  Supreme 
Judge  of  the  world  for  the  rectitude  of  our  intentions,  do,  in  the  Name, 
and  by  authority  of  the  good  People  of  these  Colonies,  solemnly 
PUBLISH  and  declare,  That  these  United  Colonies  are,  and  of  Right 
ought  to  be  free  and  independent  states  ;  that  they  are  Absolved  from 
all  Allegiance  to  the  British  Crown,  and  that  all  political  connection 
between  them  and  the  State  of  Great  Britian  is  and  ought  to  be  totally 
dissolved;  and  that  as  free  and  independent  States,  they  have  full 
Power  to  levy  War,  conclude  Peace,  contract  Alliances,  establish  Com- 
merce, and  to  do  all  other  Acts  and  Things  which  independent  States 
may  of  right  do.  And  for  the  support  of  this  Declaration,  with  a  firm 
reliance  on  the  protection  of  Divine  Providence,  We  mutually  pledge 
to  each  other  our  Lives,  our  Fortunes,  and  our  sacred  Honor. 

Ordered,  That  the  said  letter  and  Declaration  be  referred  to  a  com- 
mittee, to  consist  of  Mr.  Jay,  Mr.  Yates,  Mr.  Hobart,  Mr.  Brasher  and 
Mr.  Wm.  Smith. 

*  *     *  *     *     * 

Tuesday,  P.  M. 

White  Plains,  July  9th,  1776. 
The  Convention  met. 

*  *     *  *     *     * 

The  committee  appointed  to  take  into  consideration  the  letter  from 
our  Delegates  in  Continental  Congress,  and  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence, reported  the  following,  which  was  unanimously  agreed 
to,  and  is  in  the  words  following,  that  is  to  say: 

Resolved  unanimously.  That  the  reasons  assigned  by  the  Continental 
Congress  for  declaring  the  United  Colonies  free  and  independent  States 
are  cogent  and  conclusive;  and  that  while  we  lament  the  cruel  neces- 
sity which  has  rendered  that  measure  unavoidable,  we  approve  the 
same,  and  will,  at  the  risk  of  our  lives  and  fortunes,  join  with  the 
other  Colonies  in  supporting  it. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  the  said  Declaration  and  the  aforegoing 
resolutions  be  sent  to  the  chairman  of  the  committee  of  the  county  of 
Westchester,  with  orders  to  publish  the  same,  with  beat  of  drum,  at 
this  place  on  Thursday  next;  and  to  give  directions  that  it  be  published 


326  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION   IN   NEW  YORK 

with  all  convenient  speed  in  the  several  districts  within  the  said  county; 
and  that  copies  thereof  be  forthwith  transmitted  to  the  other  county 
committees  within  the  State  of  New  York,  with  orders  to  cause  the 
same  to  be  published  in  the  several  districts  of  their  respective 
counties. 

Resolved,  That  500  copies  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  with 
the  two  last  mentioned  resolutions  of  this  Congress  for  approving  and 
proclaiming  the  same,  be  published  in  handbills  and  sent  to  all  the 
county  committees  in  this  State. 

Resolved,  That  the  Delegates  of  this  State  in  Continental  Congress 
be  and  they  are  hereby  authorized  to  consent  and  adopt  all  such 
measures  as  they  may  deem  conducive  to  the  happiness  and  welfare 
of  the  United  States  of  America. 

Ordered,  That  copies  of  the  aforesaid  resolutions  be  transmitted 
to  the  Continental  Congress. 

{Journals  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  1:515—18; 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  inserted 
from  another  copy) 

FIRST  STATE   CONSTITUTION 

April  20,  1777 

Die  Solis,  6  ho.  P.  M.,  April  20,  1777 
The  Convention  met  pursuant  to  adjournment. 

Present — ^Leonard  Gansevoort,  Esq.  Prest.  Pro  tern 

Genl.  Scott,  Mr  Bancker,  Major  Van  Zandt,  Mr  Dunscomb,  Mr 
Harper,  Mr  Beekman,  Capt.  Rutgers — New  York. 

Mr  Harper — Tryon. 

Major  Tappen — Ulster. 

Major  Landon,  Mr  R.  R.  Livingston,  Capt.  Schenck,  Mr  G.  Liv- 
ingston— Dutchess. 

Mr  Gansevoort,  Mr  Ten  Broeck,  Mr  Cuyler,  Mr  Abm.  Yates,  Mr 
Bleecker,  Colo.  Livingston — Albany. 

Mr  Wisner,  Mr  Clarke,  Colo.  Allison — Orange. 

Mr  Smith,  Mr  Treadwell,  Mr  Miller,  Mr  Yiohan— Suffolk. 

Mr  Morris,  Colo.  Drake,  Judge  Graham,  Major  Lockwood — 
Westchester. 

Colo.  Williams,  Major  Webster — Charlotte. 

Mr  Stephens — Cumberland. 

The  constitution,  or  plan  of  government  of  this  State,  as  amended, 
was  read  throughout,  and  such  amendments  as  being  proposed  were 


CONSTITUTION   OF    1777  327 

unanimously  agreed  to  without  debate  by  every  member  present; 
and  the  general  question  being  put  thereon,  it  was  agreed  to  by  every 
member  present,  except  Colo.  Peter  R.  Livingston,  who  desired  that 
his  dissent  thereto  be  entered  on  the  minutes. 

[Preambles  and  Declaration  of  Independence  omitted] 

And  whereas  this  Convention  having  taken  this  declaration  into 
tlieir  most  serious  consideration,  did  on  the  ninth  day  of  July  last 
past,  unanimously  resolve,  that  the  reasons  assigned  by  the  Continental 
Congress  for  declaring  the  United  Colonies  free  and  independent 
States,  are  cogent  and  conclusive:  and  that  while  we  lament  the  cruel 
necessity  which  has  rendered  that  measure  unavoidable,  we  approve 
the  same,  and  will,  at  the  risk  of  our  lives  and  fortunes,  join  the 
other  Colonies  in  supporting  it. 

By  virtue  of  which  several  acts,  declarations  and  proceedings  men- 
tioned and  contained  in  the  afore  recited  resolves  or  resolutions  of 
the  General  Congress  of  the  United  American  States,  and  of  the  Con- 
gresses or  Conventions  of  this  State,  all  power  whatever  therein  hath 
reverted  to  the  people  thereof,  and  this  Convention  hath  by  their  suf- 
frages and  free  choice  been  appointed,  and  among  other  things,  author- 
ized to  institute  and  establish  such  a  government  as  they  shall  deem 
best  calculated  to  secure  the  rights  and  liberties  of  the  good  people  of 
this  State,  most  conducive  of  the  happiness  and  safety  of  their  con- 
stituents in  particular,  and  of  America  in  general. 

I.  This  Convention,  therefore,  in  the  name  and  by  the  authority  of  the 
good  people  of  this  State,  doth  ordain,  determine  and  declare,  that 
no  authority  shall,  on  any  pretence  whatever,  be  exercised  over  the 
people  or  members  of  this  State,  but  such  as  shall  be  derived  from  and 
granted  by  them. 

II.  This  Convention  doth  further,  in  the  name  and  by  the  authority 
of  the  good  people  of  this  State,  ordain,  determine  and  declare,  that 
the  supreme  Legislative  power,  within  this  State,  shall  be  vested  into 
two  separate  and  distinct  bodies  of  men;  the  one  to  be  called  the 
Assembly  of  the  State  of  New  York;  the  other  to  be  called  the  Senate 
of  the  State  of  New  York;  who  together  shall  form  the  Legislature, 
and  meet  once  at  least  in  every  year  for  the  despatch  of  business. 

III.  And  whereas  laws  inconsistent  with  the  spirit  of  this  constitu- 
tion or  with  the  public  good,  may  be  hastily  and  unadvisedly  passed: 

Be  it  Ordained,  That  the  Governor  for  the  time  being,  the  Chancellor, 
and  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  or  any  two  of  them,  together 
with  the  Governor,  shall  be,  and  hereby  are,  constituted  a  Council  to 


328  THE  AMERICAN   REVOLUTION   IN  NEW  YORK 

revise  all  bills  about  to  be  passed  into  laws  by  the  Legislature;  and 
for  that  purpose  shall  assemble  themselves  from  time  to  time,  when  the 
Legislature  shall  be  convened;  for  which  nevertheless  they  shall  not 
receive  any  salary  or  consideration,  under  any  pretence  whatever.  And 
that  all  bills,  which  have  passed  the  Senate  and  Assembly,  shall, 
before  they  become  laws,  be  presented  to  the  said  Council  for  their 
revisal  and  consideration ;  and  if,  upon  such  revision  and  consideration, 
it  should  appear  improper  to  the  said  Council,  or  a  majority  of  them, 
that  the  said  bill  should  become  a  law  of  this  State,  that  they  return 
the  same,  together  with  their  objections  thereto  in  writing,  to  the 
Senate,  or  House  of  Assembly,  in  whichsoever  the  same  shall  have 
originated,  who  shall  enter  the  objections  sent  down  by  the  Council, 
at  large  on  their  minutes,  and  proceed  to  reconsider  the  said  bill. 
But  if  after  such  reconsideration  two-thirds  of  the  said  Senate,  or 
House  of  Assembly,  shall,  notwithstanding  the  said  objections,  agree  to 
pass  the  same,  it  shall,  together  with  the  objections,  be  sent  to  the 
other  branch  of  the  Legislature,  where  it  shall  also  be  reconsidered, 
and  if  approved  by  two-thirds  of  the  members  present,  it  shall  be  a  law. 
And  in  order  to  prevent  any  unnecessary  delays. 

Be  it  further  Ordained,  That  if  any  bill  shall  not  be  returned  by  the 
Council  within  ten  days  after  it  shall  have  been  presented,  the  same 
shall  be  a  law,  unless  the  Legislature  shall,  by  their  adjournment, 
render  a  return  of  the  said  bill  within  ten  days  impracticable;  in 
which  case  the  bill  shall  be  returned  on  the  first  day  of  the  meeting 
of  the  Legislature,  after  the  expiration  of  the  said  ten  days. 

IV.  That  the  Assembly  shall  consist  of  at  least  seventy  members,  to 
be  annually  chosen  in  the  several  counties  in  the  proportions  following, 
viz: 

For  the  city  and  county  of  New  York nine 

the  city  and  county  of  Albany ten 

the  county  of  Dutchess , seven 

the  county  of  Westchester six 

the  county  of  Ulster six 

the  county  of  Suffolk five 

the  county  of  Queens. four 

the  county  of   Orange four 

the  county  of  Kings two 

the  county  of  Richmond two 

the  county  of  Tryon six 

the  county  of  Charlotte four 

the  county  of  Cumberland three 

the  county  of  Gloucester two 


CONSTITUTION  OF  1777  329 

V.  That  as  soon  after  the  expiration  of  seven  years,  subsequent  to 
the  termination  of  the  present  war,  as  may  be,  a  census  of  the  electors 
and  inhabitants  in  this  State  be  taken,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Legislature.  And  if  on  such  census,  it  shall  appear  that  the  number 
of  Representatives  in  Assembly,  from  the  said  counties,  is  not  justly 
proportioned  to  the  number  of  electors  in  the  said  counties  respectively, 
that  the  Legislature  do  adjust  and  apportion  the  same  by  that  rule. 
And  further,  that  once  in  every  seven  years,  after  the  taking  of  the 
said  first  census,  a  just  account  of  the  electors  resident  in  each  county 
shall  be  taken;  and  if  it  shall  thereupon  appear  that  the  number  of 
electors  in  any  county,  shall  have  increased  or  diminished  one  or 
more  seventieth  parts  of  the  whole  number  of  electors,  which  on  the 
said  first  census  shall  be  found  in  this  State,  the  number  of  Represen- 
tatives for  such  county  shall  be  increased  or  diminished  accordingly, 
that  is  to  say,  one  Representative  for  every  seventieth  part  as  aforesaid. 

VL  And  whereas  an  opinion  hath  long  prevailed,  among  divers 
of  the  good  people  of  this  State,  that  voting  at  elections  by  ballot, 
would  tend  more  to  preserve  the  liberty  and  equal  freedom  of  the 
people,  then  voting  viva  voce;  to  the  end  therefore,  that  a  fair  experi- 
ment be  made  which  of  those  two  methods  of  voting  is  to  be  preferred : 

Be  it  Ordained,  That  as  soon  as  may  be,  after  the  termination  of  the 
present  war  between  the  United  States  of  America  and  Great  Britain, 
an  act  or  acts  be  passed  by  the  Legislature  of  this  State,  for  causing 
all  elections,  thereafter  to  be  held  in  this  State,  for  Senators  and 
Representatives  in  Assembly,  to  be  by  ballot,  and  directing  the  manner 
in  which  the  same  shall  be  conducted:  And  Whereas  it  is  possible,  that 
after  all  the  care  of  the  Legislature  in  framin,g  the  said  act  or  acts, 
certain  inconveniences  and  mischiefs,  unforseen  at  this  day,  may  be 
found  to  attend  the  said  mode  of  electing  by  ballot: 

It  is  further  Ordained,  That  if  after  a  full  and  fair  experiment  shall 
be  made  of  voting  by  ballot  aforesaid,  the  same  shall  be  found  less 
conducive  to  the  safety  or  interest  of  the  State  than  the  method  of 
voting  viva  voce,  it  shall  be  lawful  and  constitutional  for  the  Legisla- 
ture to  abolish  the  same;  provided  two-thirds  of  the  members  present 
in  each  House  respectively  shall  concur  therein;  and  further,  that 
during  the  continuance  of  the  present  war,  and  until  the  Legislature  of 
this  State  shall  provide  for  the  election  of  Senators  and  Representa- 
tives in  Assembly  by  ballot,  the  said  elections  shall  be  made  viva  voce. 

VIL  That  every  male  inhabitant,  of  full  age,  who  shall  have  per- 
sonally resided  within  one  of  the  counties  of  this  State  for  six  months 


330  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION  IN   NEW  YORK 

immediately  preceding  the  day  of  election,  shall,  at  such  election,  be 
entitled  to  vote  for  Representative  of  the  said  county  in  Assembly;  if, 
during  the  time  aforesaid,  he  shall  have  been  a  freeholder,  possessing 
a  freehold  of  the  value  of  twenty  pounds,  within  the  said  county,  or  have 
rented  a  tenement  therein  of  the  yearly  value  of  forty  shillings,  and 
been  rated,  and  actually  paid  taxes  to  this  State:  provided  always,  that 
every  person  who  now  is  a  freeman  of  the  city  of  Albany,  or  who  was 
made  a  freeman  of  the  city  of  New  York,  on  or  before  the  fourteenth 
day  of  October,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  seventy-five,  and  shall  be  actually  and  usually  resident  in  the  said 
cities  respectively,  shall  be  entitled  to  vote  for  Representatives  in 
Assembly,  within  his  said  place  of  residence. 

VIII.  That  every  elector,  before  he  is  admitted  to  vote,  shall,  if 
required  by  the  returning  officer,  or  either  of  the  inspectors,  take  an 
oath,  or  if  of  the  people  called  Quakers,  an  affirmation,  of  allegiance  to 
the  State. 

IX.  That  the  Assembly  thus  constituted,  shall  choose  their  own 
Speaker,  be  judges  of  their  own  members,  and  enjoy  the  same 
privileges,  and  proceed  in  doing  business  in  like  manner  as  the  Assem- 
blies of  the  Colony  of  New  York  of  right  formerly  did;  and  that  a 
majority  of  the  said  members  shall,  from  time  to  time,  constitute  a 
House  to  proceed  upon  business. 

X.  And  this  Convention  doth  further,  in  the  name,  and  by  the 
authority  of  the  good  people  of  this  State,  ordain,  determine  and 
declare,  that  the  Senate  of  the  State  of  New  York  shall  consist  of 
twenty-four  freeholders,  to  be  chosen  out  of  the  body  of  the  free- 
holders, and  that  they  be  chosen  by  the  freeholders  of  this  State, 
possessed  of  freeholds  of  the  value  of  one  hundred  pounds,  over  and 
above  all   debts  charged  thereon. 

XI.  That  the  members  of  the  Senate  be  elected  for  four  years,  and 
immediately  after  the  first  election,  they  be  divided  by  lot  into  four 
classes,  six  in  each  class,  and  numbered  one,  two  three  and  four; 
that  the  seats  of  the  members  of  the  first  class  shall  be  vacated  at  the 
expiration  of  the  first  year;  the  second  class  the  second  year;  and  so 
on  continually,  to  the  end,  that  the  fourth  part  of  the  Senate,  as  nearly 
as  possible,  may  be  annually  chosen. 

XII.  That  the  election  of  Senators  shall  be  after  this  manner:  that 
so  much  of  this  State  as  is  now  parcelled  into  counties,  be  divided  into 
four  great  districts;  the  southern  district  to  comprehend  the  city  and 
county  of  New  York,  Suffolk,  Westchester,  Kings,  Queens  and  Rich- 
mond  counties;    the   middle   district   to   comprehend  the   counties   of 


CONSTITUTION   OF    1777  331 

Dutchess,  Ulster  and  Orange;  the  western  district  the  city  and  county 
of  Albany,  and  Tryon  county;  and  the  eastern  district,  the  counties  of 
Charlotte,  Cumberland  and  Gloucester.  That  the  Senators  shall  be 
elected  by  the  freeholders  of  the  said  districts,  qualified  as  aforesaid 
in  the  proportions  following,  to  wit:  in  the  southern  district  nine; 
in  the  middle  district  six;  in  the  western  district  six;  and  in  the  eastern 
district  three. 

And  be  it  Ordained,  That  a  census  shall  be  taken  as  soon  as  may  be, 
after  the  expiration  of  seven  years  from  the  termination  of  the  present 
war,  under  the  direction  of  the  Legislature;  and  if  on  such  census  it 
shall  appear,  that  the  number  of  Senators  is  not  justly  proportioned 
to  the  several  districts,  that  the  Legislature  adjust  the  proportion  as 
near  as  may  be,  to  the  number  of  freeholders  qualified  as  aforesaid 
in  each  district.  That  when  the  number  of  electors,  within  any  of 
the  said  districts,  shall  have  increased  one-twenty-fourth  part  of  the 
whole  number  of  electors,  which  by  the  said  census,  shall  be  found  to 
be  in  this  State,  an  additional  Senator  shall  be  chosen  by  the  electors 
of  such  district.  That  a  majority  of  the  number  of  Senators  to  be 
chosen  as  aforesaid,  shall  be  necessary  to  constitute  a  Senate  suf- 
ficient to  proceed  upon  business;  and  that  the  Senate  shall  in  like 
manner  with  the  Assembly,  be  the  judges  of  its  own  members. 

And  be  it  Ordained,  That  it  shall  be  in  the  power  of  the  future 
Legislatures  of  this  State,  for  the  convenience  and  advantage  of  the 
good  people  thereof,  to  divide  the  same  into  such  further  and  other 
counties  and  districts  as  shall  to  them  appear  necessary. 

XIII.  And  this  Convention  doth  further,  in  the  name  and  by  the 
authority  of  the  good  people  of  this  State,  ordain,  determine  and 
declare,  that  no  member  of  this  State  shall  be  disfranchised  or  de- 
prived of  any  of  the  rights  or  privileges  secured  to  the  subjects  of  this 
State,  by  this  Constitution,  unless  by  the  law  of  the  land,  or  the  judg- 
ment of  his  peers. 

XIV.  That  neither  the  Assembly  nor  the  Senate  shall  have  power 
to  adjourn  themselves  for  any  longer  time  than  two  days,  without  the 
mutual  consent  of  both. 

XV.  That  whenever  the  Assembly  and  Senate  disagree,  a  confer- 
ence shall  be  held  in  the  presence  of  both,  and  be  managed  by  com- 
mittees to  be  by  them  respectively  chosen  by  ballot.  That  the  doors, 
both  of  the  Senate  and  Assembly  shall  at  all  times  be  kept  open  to 
all  persons,  except  when  the  welfare  of  the  State  shall  require  their 
debates  to  be  kept  secret.  And  the  journals  of  all  their  proceedings 
shall   be  kept  in  the  manner  heretofore  accustomed  by  the  General 


332  THE  AMERICAN   REVOLUTION  IN  NEW  YORK 

Assembly  of  the  Colony  of  New  York,  and  except  such  parts  as  they 
shall  as  aforesaid  respectively  determine  not  to  make  public,  be  from 
day  to  day  (if  the  business  of  the  Legislature  will  permit)   published. 

XVI.  It  is  nevertheless  provided,  that  the  number  of  Senators  shall 
never  exceed  one  hundred,  nor  the  number  of  Assembly  three  hundred; 
but  that  whenever  the  number  of  Senators  shall  amount  to  one  hundred, 
or  of  the  Assembly  to  three  hundred,  then  and  in  such  case,  the 
Legislature  shall  from  time  to  time  thereafter,  by  laws  for  that  pur- 
pose, apportion  and  distribute  the  said  one  hundred  Senators  and  three 
hundred  Representatives,  among  the  great  districts  and  counties  of  this 
State  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  their  respective  electors;  so  that 
the  representation  of  the  good  people  of  this  State,  both  in  the  Senate 
and  Assembly,  shall  forever  remain  proportionate  and  adequate. 

XVII.  And  this  Convention  doth  further,  in  the  name  and  by  the 
authority  of  the  good  people  of  this  State,  ordain,  determine  and 
declare,  that  the  supreme  executive  power  and  authority  of  this  State, 
shall  be  vested  in  a  Governor;  and  that  statedly  once  in  every  three 
years,  and  as  often  as  the  seat  of  government  shall  become  vacant,  a 
wise  and  discreet  freeholder  of  this  State  shall  be  by  ballot  elected 
Governor  by  the  freeholders  of  this  State,  qualified  as  before  described 
to  elect  Senators;  which  elections  shall  be  always  held  at  the  times  and 
places  of  choosing  Representatives  in  Assembly  for  each  respective 
county,  and  that  the  person  who  hath  the  greatest  number  of  votes 
within  the  said  State  shall  be  Governor  thereof. 

XVIII.  That  the  Governor  shall  continue  in  office  three  years,  and  shall 
by  virtue  of  his  office  be  General  and  Commander-in-Chief  of  all  the 
militia,  and  Admiral  of  the  navy  of  this  State;  that  he  shall  have  power 
to  convene  the  Assembly  and  Senate  on  extraordinary  occasions;  to 
prorogue  them  from  lime  to  tilne,  provided  such  prorogations  shall 
not  exceed  sixty  days  in  the  space  of  any  one  year;  and,  at  his  dis- 
cretion, to  grant  reprieves  and  pardons  to  persons  convicted  of  crime, 
other  than  treason  or  murder,  in  which  he  may  suspend  the  execution 
of  the  sentence  until  it  shall  be  reported  to  the  Legislature  at  their 
subsequent  meeting;  and  they  shall  either  pardon  or  direct  the  execu- 
tion of  the  criminal,  or  grant  a  further  reprieve. 

XIX.  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Governor  to  inform  the  Legis- 
lature, at  every  session,  of  the  condition  of  the  State,  so  far  as  may 
respect  his  department;  to  recommend  such  matters  to  their  considera- 
tion as  shall  appear  to  him  to  concern  its  good  government,  welfare 
and  prosperity;  to  correspond  with  the  Continental  Congress,  and  other 
States;  to  transact  all  necessary  business  with  the  officers  of  govern- 


CONSTITUTION  OF   1777  333 

ment,  civil  and  military;  to  take  care  that  the  laws  are  faithfully  exe- 
cuted, to  the  best  of  his  ability,  and  to  expedite  all  such  measures  as 
may  be  resolved  upon  by  the  Legislature. 

XX.  That  a  Lieutenant-Governor  shall  at  every  election  of  a  Governor, 
and  as  often  as  the  Lieutenant-Governor  shall  die,  resign,  or  be  removed 
from  office,  be  elected  in  the  same  manner  with  the  Governor,  to  con- 
tinue in  office  until  the  next  election  of  a  Governor;  and  such  Lieutenant 
Governor  shall,  by  virtue  of  his  office,  be  President  of  the  Senate,  and, 
upon  an  equal  division,  have  a  casting  voice  in  their  decisions,  but 
not  vote  on  any  other  occasion. 

And  in  case  of  the  impeachment  of  the  Governor,  or  his  removal 
from  office,  death,  resignation,  or  absence  from  the  State,  the 
Lieutenant-Governor  shall  exercise  all  the  power  and  authority  apper- 
taining to  the  office  of  Governor,  until  another  be  chosen,  or  the 
Governor  absent  or  impeached,  shall  return  or  be  acquitted:  provided, 
that  when  the  Governor  shall,  with  the  consent  of  the  Legislature,  be 
out  of  the  State,  in  time  of  war,  at  the  head  of  a  military  force  thereof, 
he  shall  still  continue  in  his  command  of  all  the  military  force  of  this 
State,  both  by  sea  and  land. 

XXL  That  whenever  the  government  shall  be  administered  by  the 
Lieutenant-Governor,  or  he  shall  be  unable  to  attend  as  President  of 
the  Senate,  the  Senators  shall  have  power  to  elect  one  of  their  own 
members  to  the  office  of  President  of  the  Senate,  which  he  shall  exer- 
cise pro  hac  vice;  and  if  during  such  vacancy  of  the  office  of  Governor, 
the  Lieutenant-Governor  shall  be  impeached,  displaced,  resign,  die, 
or  be  absent  from  the  State,  the  President  of  the.  Senate  shall  in  like 
manner  as  the  Lieutenant-Governor  administer  the  government,  until 
others  shall  be  elected  by  the  suffrage  of  the  people  at  the  succeeding 
election. 

XXIL  And  this  Convention  doth  further,  in  the  name  and  by  the 
authority  of  the  good  people  of  this  State,  ordain,  determine  and 
declare,  that  the  Treasurer  of  this  State  shall  be  appointed  by  act  of 
the  Legislature,  to  originate  with  the  Assembly;  provided,  that  he  shall 
not  be  elected  out  of  either  branch  of  the  Legislature. 

XXIIL  That  all  officers,  other  than  those,  who  by  this  Constitution 
are  directed  to  be  otherwise  appointed,  shall  be  appointed  in  the  man- 
ner following,  to  wit:  The  Assembly  sha:ll,  once  in  every  year,  openly 
nominate  and  appoint  one  of  the  Senators  from  each  great  district,  which 
Senators  shall  form  a  Council  for  the  appointment  of  the  said  officers, 
of  which  the  Governor,  for  the  time  being,  or  the  Lieutenant-Governor, 
or  the  President  of  the  Senate,  when  they  shall  respectively  administer 


334  THE  AMERICAN   REVOLUTION   IN  NEW  YORK 

the  government,  shall  be  president,  and  have  a  casting  voice,  but  no 
other  vote;  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  said  Council,  shall 
appoint  all  the  said  officers;  and  that  a  majority  of  the  said  council 
be  a  quorum;  and  further,  the  said  Senators  shall  not  be  eligible  to 
the  said  Council  for  two  years  successively. 

XXIV.  That  all  military  officers  be  appointed  during  pleasure;  that 
all  commissioned  officers,  civil  and  military,  be  commissioned  by  the 
Governor,  and  that  the  chancellor,  judges  of  the  supreme  court,  and 
first  judge  of  the  county  court,  in  every  county,  hold  their  offices 
during  good  behaviour,  or  until  they  shall  have  respectively  attained 
the  age  of  sixty  years. 

XXV.  That  the  chancellor  and  judges  of  the  supreme  court  shall 
not  at  the  same  time  hold  any  other  office,  excepting  that  of  Delegate 
to  the  General  Congress,  upon  special  occasions;  and  that  the  first 
judges  of  the  county  courts  in  the  several  counties,  shall  not  at  the 
same  time  hold  any  other  office,  excepting  that  of  Senator  or  Delegate 
to  the  General  Congress.  But  if  the  chancellor,  or  either  of  the  said 
judges,  be  elected  or  appointed  to  any  other  office,  excepting  as  is 
before  excepted,  it  shall  be  at  his  option  in  which  to  serve. 

XXVI.  That  sheriffs  and  coroners  be  annually  appointed,  and  that 
no  person  shall  be  capable  of  holding  either  of  the  said  offices  more 
than  four  years  successively,  nor  the  sheriff,  of  holding  any  other  office 
at  the  same  time. 

XXVII.  And  be  it  further  Ordained,  That  the  register  and  clerks 
in  chancery  be  appointed  by  the  chancellor;  the  clerks  of  the  supreme 
court  by  the  judges  of  the  said  court;  the  clerk  of  the  court  of  pro- 
bates by  the  judge  of  the  said  court;  and  the  register  and  marshal  of 
the  court  of  admiralty,  by  the  judge  of  the  admiralty.  The  said 
marshal,  registers  and  clerks  to  continue  in  office  during  the  pleasure  of 
those  by  whom  they  are  to  be  appointed  as  aforesaid. 

And  that  all  attorneys,  solicitors  and  counsellors  at  law,  hereafter 
to  be  appointed,  be  appointed  by  the  court,  and  licensed  by  the  first 
judge  of  the  court  in  which  they  shall  respectively  plead  or  practise, 
and  be  regulated  by  the  rules  and  orders  of  the  said  courts. 

XXVIII.  And  be  it  further  Ordained,  That  where,  by  this  Conven- 
tion, the  duration  of  any  office  shall  not  be  ascertained,  such  office  shall 
be  construed  to  be  held  during  the  pleasure  of  the  council  of  appoint- 
ment: provided  that  new  commissions  shall  be  issued  to  the  judges  of 
the  county  courts,  (other  than  to  the  first  judge,)  and  to  justices  of  the 
peace,  once  at  least  in  every  three  years. 


CONSTITUTION   OF   1777  335 

XXIX.  That  town  clerks,  supervisors,  assessors,  constables  and  col- 
lectors, and  all  other  officers  heretofore  eligible  by  the  people,  shall 
always  continue  to  be  so  eligible,  in  the  manner  directed  by  the  present 
or  future  acts  of  the  Legislature. 

That  loan  ofi&cers,  county  treasurers  and  clerks  of  the  supervisors, 
continue  to  be  appointed  in  the  manner  directed  by  the  present  or 
future  acts  of  the  Legislature. 

XXX.  That  Delegates  to  represent  this  State  in  the  General  Congress 
of  tlie  United  States  of  America,  be  annually  appointed  as  follows,  to 
wit:  The  Senate  and  Assembly  shall  each  openly  nominate  as  many 
persons  as  shall  be  equal  to  the  whole  number  of  Delegates  to  be  ap- 
pointed; after  which  nomination  they  shall  meet  together,  and  those 
persons  named  in  both  lists  shall  be  Delegates.  And  out  of  those 
persons  whose  names  are  not  in  both  lists,  one-half  shall  be  chosen  by 
the  joint  ballot  of  the  Senators  and  Members  of  Assembly,  so  met 
together  as  aforesaid. 

XXXL  That  the  style  of  all  laws  shall  be  as  follows,  to  wit:  "Be 
it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  New  York,  represented  in 
Senate  and  Assembly."  And  that  all  writs  and  other  proceedings  shall 
run  in  the  name  of  "the  People  of  the  State  of  New  York,"  and  be 
tested  in  the  name  of  the  chancellor,  or  chief  judge  of  the  court  from 
whence  they  shall  issue. 

XXXIL  And  this  Convention  doth  further  in  the  name  and  by  the 
authority  of  the  good  people  of  this  State,  ordain,  determine  and  de- 
clare, that  a  court  shall  be  instituted  for  the  trial  of  impeachments  and 
correction  of  errors,  under  the  regulations  which  shall  be  established 
by  the  Legislature;  and  to  consist  of  the  President  of  the  Senate,  for 
the  time  being,  and  the  Senators,  chancellor  and  judges  of  the  supreme 
court,  or  the  major  part  of  them;  except  that  when  an  impeachment 
shall  be  prosecuted  against  the  chancellor,  or  either  of  the  judges  of 
the  supreme  court,  the  person  so  impeached,  shall  be  suspended  from 
exercising  his  ojQEice  until  his  acquittal.  And,  in  like  manner,  when  ati 
appeal  from  a  decree  in  equity  shall  be  heard,  the  chancellor  shall 
inform  the  court  of  the  reasons  of  his  decree,  but  shall  not  have  a 
voice  in  the  final  sentence.  And  if  the  cause  to  be  determined  shall  be 
brought  up  by  a  writ  of  error  on  a  question  of  law,  on  a  judgment  in 
the  supreme  court,  the  judges  of  that  court  shall  assign  the  reasons  of 
such  their  judgment,  but  shall  not  have  a  voice  for  its  affirmance  or 
reversal. 

XXXIIL  That  the  power  of  impeaching  all  officers  of  the  State,  for 
mal  and  corrupt  conduct  in  their  respective  offices,  be  vested  in  the 


336  THE  AMERICAN   REVOLUTION   IN  NEW  YORK 

Representatives  of  the  people  in  Assembly;  but  that  it  shall  always  be 
necessary  that  two-third  parts  of  the  members  present  shall  consent  to, 
and  agree  in,  such  impeachment.  That  previous  to  the  trial  of  evei) 
impeachment,  the  members  of  the  said  court  shall  respectively  be  sworn, 
truly  and  impartially,  to  try  and  determine  the  charge  in  question  ac- 
cording to  evidence;  and  that  no  judgment  of  the  said  court  shall  be 
valid,  unless  it  shall  be  assented  to  by  two-third  parts  of  the  members 
then  present;  nor  shall  it  extend  farther  than  to  removal  from  office, 
and  disqualification  to  hold  or  enjoy  any  place  of  honour,  trust  or 
profit,  under  this  State.  But  the  party  so  accused,  shall  be,  neverthe- 
less, liable  and  subject  to  indictment,  trial,  judgment  and  punishment, 
according  to  the  laws  of  the  land. 

XXXIV.  And  it  is  further  Ordained,  That  in  every  trial  on  impeach- 
ment or  indictment  for  crimes  or  misdemeanors,  the  party  impeached 
or  indicted  shall  be  allowed  counsel,  as  in  civil  actions. 

XXXV.  And  this  Convention  doth  further,  in  the  name,  and  by  the 
authority  of  the  good  people  of  this  State,  ordain,  determine,  and 
declare,  that  such  parts  of  the  common  law  of  England,  and  of  the 
statute  law  of  England  and  Great  Britain,  and  of  the  acts  of  the 
Legislature  of  the  Colony  of  New  York,  as  together  did  form  the  law 
of  the  said  Colony  on  the  nineteenth  day  of  April,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  seventy-five,  shall  be  and  con- 
tinue the  law  of  this  State;  subject  to  such  alterations  and  provisions 
as  the  Legislature  of  this  State  shall,  from  time  to  time,  make  concern- 
ing the  same.  That  such  of  the  said  acts  as.  are  temporary,  shall 
expire  at  the  times  limited  for  their  duration  respectively. 

That  all  such  parts  of  the  common  law,  and  all  such  of  the  said 
statutes  and  acts  aforesaid,  or  parts  thereof,  as  may  be  construed  to 
establish  or  maintain  any  particular  denomination  of  Christians  or 
their  ministers,  or  concern  the  allegiance  heretofore  yielded  to,  and  the 
supremacy,  sovereignty,  government  or  prerogatives,  claimed  or  exer- 
cised by  the  King  of  Great  Britain  and  his  predecessors,  over  the 
Colony  of  New  York  and  its  inhabitants,  or  are  repugnant  to  this 
Constitution,  be,  and  they  hereby  are,  abrogated  and  rejected. 

And  this  Convention  doth  further  ordain,  that  the  resolves  or  resolu- 
tions of  the  Congresses  of  the  Colony  of  New  York,  and  of  the  Conven- 
tion of  the  State  of  New  York,  now  in  force,  and  not  repugnant  to  the 
government  established  by  this  Constitution,  shall  be  considered  as 
making  part  of  the  laws  of  this  State;  subject,  nevertheless,  to  such 
alterations  and  provisions  as  the  Legislature  of  this  State  may,  from 
time  to  time,  make  concerning  the  same. 


CONSTITUTION   OF   1777  337 

XXXVI.  And  be  it  further  Ordained,  That  all  grants  within  this 
State,  made  by  the  King  of  Great  Britain,  or  persons  acting  under  his 
authority,  after  the  fourteentli  day  of  October,  one  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  seventy-five,  shall  be  null  and  void.  But  that  nothing  in 
this  Constitution  contained,  shall  be  construed  to  affect  any  grants  of 
land  within  this  State,  made  by  the  authority  of  the  said  King  or  his 
predecessors,  or  to  annul  any  charters  to  bodies  politic,  by  him  or  them, 
or  any  of  them,  made  prior  to  that  day.  And  that  none  of  the  said 
charters  shall  be  adjudged  to  be  void  by  reason  of  any  non-user  or 
misuser  of  any  of  their  respective  rights  or  privileges,  between  the 
nineteenth  day  of  April,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  seventy-five,  and  the  publication  of  this  Constitution. 
And  further,  that  all  such  of  the  officers  described  in  the  said  charters 
respectively,  as  by  the  terms  of  the  said  charters  were  to  be  appointed 
by  the  Governor  of  the  Colony  of  New  York,  with  or  without  the 
advice  and  consent  of  the  Council  of  the  said  King  in  the  said  Colony, 
shall  henceforth  be  appointed  by  the  Council  established  by  this  Con- 
stitution for  the  appointment  of  officers  in  this  State,  until  otherwise 
directed  by  the  Legislature. 

XXXVn.  And  whereas  it  is  of  great  importance  to  the  safety  of 
this  State,  that  peace  and  amity  with  the  Indians  within  the  same,  be 
at  all  times  supported  and  maintained:  And  whereas  the  frauds  too 
often  practised  towards  the  said  Indians  in  contracts  made  for  their 
lands,  have  in  divers  instances  been  productive  of  dangerous  discon- 
tents and  animosities: 

Be  it  Ordained,  That  no  purchases  or  contracts  for  the  sale  of  lands 
made  since  the  fourteenth  day  of  October,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  seventy-five,  or  which  may  hereafter  be 
made  with  or  of  the  said  Indians,  within  the  limits  of  this  State,  shall 
be  binding  on  the  said  Indians,  or  deemed  valid,  unless  made  under  the 
authority  and  with  the  consent  of  the  Legislature  of  this  State. 

XXXVIII.  And  whereas  we  are  required  by  the  benevolent  princi- 
ples of  rational  liberty,  not  only  to  expel  civil  tyranny,  but  also  to 
guard  against  that  spiritual  oppression  and  intolerance  wherewith  the 
bigotry  and  ambition  of  weak  and  wicked  priests  and  princes  have 
scourged  mankind:  This  Convention  doth  further,  in  the  name  and  by 
the  authority  of  the  good  people  of  this  State,  ordain,  determine  and 
declare,  that  the  free  exercise  and  enjoyment  of  religious  profession 
and  worship,  without  discrimination  or  preference,  shall  forever  here- 
after be  allowed  within  this  State  to  all  mankind;  provided  that  the 
liberty  of  conscience  hereby  granted  shall  not  be  so  construed  as  to 


338  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION   IN  NEW  YORK 

excuse  acts  of  licentiousness  or  justify  practices  inconsistent  with  the 
peace  or  safety  of  this  State. 

XXXIX.  And  whereas  the  ministers  of  the  gospel  are  by  their  pro- 
fession, dedicated  to  the  service  of  God  and  the  cure  of  souls,  and 
ought  not  to  be  diverted  from  the  great  duties  of  their  function:  There- 
fore, no  minister  of  gospel,  or  priest  of  any  denomination  whatsoever, 
shall  at  any  time  hereafter,  under  any  pretence  or  description  what- 
ever, be  eligible  to,  or  capable  of  holding,  any  civil  or  military  ofl&ce 
or  place  within  this  State. 

XL.  And  whereas  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  safety  of 
every  State,  that  it  should  always  be  in  a  condition  of  defence;  and  it 
is  the  duty  of  every  man  who  enjoys  the  protection  of  society,  to  be 
prepared  and  willing  to  defend  it:  This  Convention  therefore  in  the 
name  and  by  the  authority  of  the  good  people  of  this  State,  doth 
ordain,  determine  and  declare,  that  the  militia  of  this  State  at  all  times 
hereafter,  as  well  in  peace  as  in  war,  shall  be  armed  and  disciplined 
and  in  readiness  for  service.  That  all  such  of  the  inhabitants  of  this 
State,  being  of  the  people  called  Quakers,  as  from  scruples  of  con- 
science may  be  averse  to  the  bearing  of  arms,  be  therefrom  excused  by 
the  Legislature,  and  do  pay  to  the  State  such  sums  of  money  in  lieu  of 
their  personal  service,  as  the  same  may,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Legis- 
lature, be  worth;  and  that  a  proper  magazine  of  warlike  stores,  propor- 
tionate to  the  number  of  inhabitants,  be  forever  hereafter  at  the  ex- 
pense of  this  State;  and  by  acts  of  the  Legislature,  established,  main- 
tained and  continued  in  every  county  in  this  State. 

XLL  And  this  Convention  doth  further  ordain  determine  and  declare 
in  the  name  and  by  the  authority  of  the  good  people  of  this  State,  that 
trial  by  jury  in  all  cases  in  which  it  hath  heretofore  been  used  in  the 
colony  of  New  York,  shall  be  established  and  remain  inviolate  forever. 
And  that  no  acts  of  attainder  shall  be  passed  by  the  Legislature  of  this 
State,  for  crimes  other  than  those  committed  before  the  termination 
of  the  present  war;  and  that  such  acts  shall  not  work  a  corruption  of 
blood.  And  further,  that  the  Legislature  of  this  State  shall,  at  no  time 
hereafter,  institute  any  new  court  or  courts  but  such  as  shall  proceed 
according  to  the  course  of  the  common  law. 

XLIL  And  this  Convention  doth  further,  in  the  name  and  by  the 
authority  of  the  good  people  of  this  State,  ordain,  determine  and 
declare,  that  it  shall  be  in  the  discretion  of  the  Legislature  to  naturalize 
all  such  persons,  and  in  such  manner  as  they  shall  think  proper,  pro- 
vided all  such  of  the  persons  so  to  be  by  them  naturalized,  as  being 
born  in  parts  beyond  sea,  and  out  of  the  United  States  of  America, 


ILLUSTRATIVE  DOCUMENTS  339 

shall  come  to  settle  in,  and  become  subjects  of  this  State,  shall  take 
an  oath  of  allegiance  to  this  State,  and  abjure  and  renounce  all 
allegiance  and  subjection  to  all  and  every  foreign  king,  prince,  potentate 
and  State,  in  all  matters  ecclesiastical  as  well  as  civil. 

By  order, 

LEONARD  GANSEVOORT,  Pres.  pro.  tern. 

(Journals  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  1 :892,  894^98) 


PROCLAMATION  OF  GENERAL  BURGOYNE 
June  29,  1777 

By  John  Burgoyne,  Esq.,  Lieutenant-General  of  his  Majesty  s  armies 
in  America,  Colonel  of  the  Queen  s  regiment  of  light  dragoons.  Gover- 
nor of  Fort  William,  in  North  Britain,  one  of  the  Representatives  of  the 
Commons  of  Great  Britain  in  Parliament,  and  commanding  an  army 
and  fleet  employed  on  an  expedition  from  Canada,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.. 

The  forces  entrusted  to  my  command  are  designed  to  act  in  concert, 
and  upon  a  common  principle,  with  the  numerous  armies  and  fleets 
which  already  display  in  every  quarter  of  America,  the  power,  the 
justice,  and  when  properly  sought,  the  mercy  of  the  King. 

The  cause  in  which  the  British  arms  are  thus  exerted,  applies  to  the 
most  affecting  interests  of  the  human  heart;  and  the  military  servants 
of  the  crown,  at  first  called  forth  for  the  sole  purpose  of  restoring  the 
rights  of  the  constitution,  now  combine  with  love  of  their  country,  and 
duty  to  their  sovereign,  the  other  extensive  incitements  which  spring 
from  a  due  sense  of  the  general  privileges  of  mankind.  To  the  eyes 
and  ears  of  the  temperate  part  of  the  public,  and  to  the  breasts  of 
suffering  thousands  in  the  provinces,  be  the  melancholy  appeal,  whether 
the  present  unnatural  rebellion  has  not  been  made  a  foundation  for 
the  completes!  system  of  tyranny  that  ever  God,  in  his  displeasure, 
suffered  for  a  time  to  be  exercised  over  a  forward  and  stubborn 
generation. 

Arbitrary  imprisonment,  confiscation  of  property,  persecution  and 
torture,  unprecedented  in  the  inquisitions  of  the  Romish  church,  are 
among  the  palpable  enormities  that  verify  the  affirmative.  These  are 
inflicted  by  assemblies  and  committees,  who  dare  to  profess  themselves 
friends  to  liberty,  upon  the  most  quiet  subjects,  without  distinction  of 
age  or  sex,  for  the  sole  crime,  often  for  the  sole  suspicion,  of  having 
adhered  in  principle  to  the  government  under  which  they  were  born, 
and  to  which,  by  every  tie,  divine  and  human,  they  owe  allegiance.    To 


340  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION  IN   NEW  YORK 

consummate  these  shocking  proceedings,  the  profanation  of  religion  is 
added  to  the  most  profligate  prostitution  of  common  reason;  the  con- 
sciences of  men  are  set  at  naught;  and  multitudes  are  compelled  not 
only  to  bear  arms  but  also  to  swear  subjection  to  an  usurpation  they 
abhor. 

Animated  by  these  considerations;  at  the  head  of  troops  in  the  full 
powers  of  health,  discipline,  and  valor;  determined  to  strike  where 
necessary,  and  anxious  to  spare  where  possible,  I,  by  these  presents, 
invite  and  exhort  all  persons,  in  all  places  where  the  progress  of  this 
army  may  point,  and  by  the  blessing  of  God  I  will  extend  it  far,  to 
maintain  such  a  conduct  as  may  justify  me  in  protecting  their  lands, 
habitations,  and  families. 

The  intention  of  this  address  is  to  hold  forth  security,  not  depreda- 
tion to  the  country.  To  those  whom  spirit  and  principle  may  induce 
to  partake  of  the  glorious  task  of  redeeming  their  countrymen  from 
dungeons,  and  re-establishing  the  blessings  of  legal  government,  I 
offer  encouragement  and  employment;  and  upon  the  first  intelligence 
of  their  associations,  I  will  find  means  to  assist  their  undertakings. 
The  domestic,  the  industrious,  the  infirm,  and  even  the  timid  inhabitants, 
I  am  desirous  to  protect,  provided  they  remain  quietly  at  their  houses; 
that  they  do  not  suffer  their  cattle  to  be  removed,  nor  their  corn  or 
forage  to  be  secreted  or  destroyed;  that  they  do  not  break  up  their 
bridges  or  roads;  nor  by  any  other  act,  directly  or  indirectly,  endeavor 
to  obstruct  the  operations  of  the  King's  troops,  or  supply  or  assist 
those  of  the  enemy.  Every  species  of  provision  brought  to  my  camp, 
will  be  paid  for  at  an  equitable  rate,  and  in  solid  coin. 

In  consciousness  of  Christianity,  my  royal  master's  clemency,  and 
the  honor  of  soldiership,  I  have  dwelt  upon  this  invitation,  and  wished 
for  more  persuasive  terms  to  give  it  impression;  and  let  not  people  be 
led  to  disregard  it,  by  considering  their  distance  from  the  immediate 
situation  of  my  camp.  I  have  but  to  give  stretch  to  the  Indian  forces 
under  my  direction,  and  they  amount  to  thousands,  to  overtake  the 
hardened  enemies  of  Great  Britain  and  America;  I  consider  them  the 
same  wherever  they  may  lurk. 

If,  notwithstanding  these  endeavors,  and  sincere  inclinations  to  effect 
them,  the  frenzy  of  hostility  should  remain,  I  trust  I  shall  stand  ac- 
quitted in  the  eyes  of  God  and  men  in  denouncing  and  executing  the 
vengeance  of  the  State  against  the  wilful  outcasts.  The  messengers  of 
justice  and  of  wrath  await  them  in  the  field;  and  devastation,  famine, 
and  every  concomitant  horror  that  a  reluctant  but  indispensable  prose- 
cution of  military  duty  must  occasion,  will  bar  the  way  to  their  return. 

(Moore,  Diary  of  the  Revolution  (1876),  page  454-56. 
Also  published  in  Gentlemen  s  Mtagazine,  47:359-60, 
and  elsewhere) 


iLLUSTRATIVE  DOCUMENTS  341 


A  PATRIOT'S  BURLESQUE  ON  BURGOYNE'S 
PROCLAMATION 

July  2,  1777 
To  John  Burgoyne.  Esquire,  Lieutenant-General  of  his  Majesty's 
armies  in  America,  Colonel  of  the  Queen  s  regiment  of  light  dragoons, 
Governor  of  Fort  William  in  North  Britain,  one  of  the  Representatives 
of  the  Commons  of  Great  Britain,  and  commanding  an  army  and  fleet 
employed  on  an  expedition  from  Canada,  &c.,  &c.,  &c. 

Most  High,  Most  Mighty,  Most  Puissant,  and  Sublime  General. 

When  the  forces  under  your  command  arrived  at  Quebec,  in  order 
to  act  in  concert  and  upon  a  common  principle  with  the  numerous 
fleets  and  armies  which  already  display  in  every  quarter  of  America 
the  justice  and  mercy  of  your  King,  we  the  reptiles  of  America,  were 
struck  with  unusual  trepidation  and  astonishment.  But  what  words  can 
express  the  plenitude  of* our  horror  when  the  Colonel  of  the  Queens 
regiment  of  light  dragoons  advanced  towards  Ticonderoga.  The 
mountains  shook  before  thee,  and  the  trees  of  the  forest  bowed  their 
lofty  heads;  the  vast  lakes  of  the  north  were  chilled  at  thy  presence, 
and  the  mighty  cataracts  stopped  their  tremendous  career,  and  were 
suspended  in  awe  at  thy  approach.  Judge,  then,  oh  ineffable  Governor 
of  Fort  W^illiam  in  North  Britain,  what  must  have  been  the  terror, 
dismay,  and  despair  that  overspread  this  paltry  continent  of  America, 
and  us  its  wretched  inhabitants.  Dark  and  dreary,  indeed,  was  the 
prospect  before  us,  till,  like  the  sun  in  the  horizon,  your  most  gracious, 
sublime,  and  irresistible  proclamation  opened  the  doors  of  mercy,  and 
snatched  us,  as  it  were,  from  the  jaws  of  annihilation. 

We  foolishly  thought,  blind  as  we  were,  that  your  gracious  master's 
fleets  and  armies  were  come  to  destroy  us  and  our  liberties;  but  we 
are  happy  in  hearing  from  you  (an  who  can  doubt  what  you  assert?) 
that  they  were  called  forth  for  the  sole  purpose  of  restoring  the  rights 
of  the  constitution  to  a  froward  and  stubborn  generation. 

And  is  it  for  this,  oh  sublime  lieutenant-general,  that  you  have  given 
yourself  the  trouble  to  cross  the  wide  Atlantic,  and  with  incredible  fati- 
gue traverse  uncultivated  wilds?  And  we  ungratefully  refuse  the 
proffered  blessing?  To  restore  the  rights  of  the  constitution  you  have 
called  together  an  amiable  host  of  savages,  and  turned  them  loose  to 
scalp  our  women  and  children,  and  lay  our  country  waste  —  this  they 
have  performed  with  their  usual  skill  and  clemency,  and  we  yet  remain 
insensible  of  the  benefit  and  unthankful  for  so  much  goodness! 


342  THE  AMERICAN   REVOLUTION  IN  NEW  YORK 

Our  Congress  have  declared  Independence,  and  our  Assemblies,  as 
your  highness  justly  observes,  have  most  wickedly  imprisoned  the 
avowed  friends  of  that  power  with  which  they  are  at  war,  and  most 
profanely  compelled  those,  whose  consciences  will  not  permit  them  to 
fight,  to  pay  some  small  part  towards  the  expenses  their  country  is  at  in 
supporting  what  we  call  a  necessary  defensive  war.  If  we  go  on  thus 
in  our  obstinacy  and  ingratitude,  what  can  we  expect  but  that  you 
should,  in  your  anger,  give  a  stretch  to  the  Indian  forces  under  your 
direction,  amounting  to  thousands,  to  overtake  and  destroy  us;  or 
which  is  ten  times  worse,  that  you  should  withdraw  your  fleets  and 
armies  and  leave  us  to  our  own  misery,  without  completing  the  benevo- 
lent task  you  have  begun,  in  restoring  to  us  the  rights  of  the  constitu- 
tion. 

We  submit,  we  submit,  most  puissant  Colonel  of  the  Queen  s  regi- 
ment of  light  dragoons,  and  Governor  of  Fort  William  in  North 
Britain!  We  off^er  our  heads  to  the  scalping  knife  and  our  bellies  to 
the  bayonet.  Who  can  resist  the  force  of  your  eloquence?  Who  can 
withstand  the  terror  of  your  arms?  The  invitation  you  have  made  in 
the  consciousness  of  Christianity,  your  royal  master  s  clemency,  and 
the  honor  of  soldiership,  we  thankfully  accept.  The  blood  of  the  slain, 
the  cries  of  injured  virgins  and  innocent- children,  and  the  never-ceas- 
ing sighs  and  groans  of  starving  wretches  now  languishing  in  the  jails 
and  prison  ships  of  New  York,  call  on  us  in  vain,  whilst  your  sublime 
proclamation  is  sounded  in  our  ears.  Forgive  us,  oh  our  country! 
Forgive  us,  dear  posterity!  Forgive  us,  all  ye  foreign  powers  who  are 
anxiously  watching  our  conduct  in  this  important  struggle,  if  we  yield 
implicitly  to  the  persuasive  tongue  of  the  most  elegant  Colonel  of  her 
Majesty's  regiment  of  light  dragoons. 

Forbear  then,  thou  magnanimous  lieutenant-general!  Forbear  to 
denounce  vengeance  against  us!  Forbear  to  give  a  stretch  to  those  Re- 
storers of  constitutional  rights,  the  Indian  forces  under  your  direction. 
—  Let  not  the  messengers  of  wrath  await  us  in  the  field,  and  devasta- 
tion, famine,  and  every  concomitant  horror,  bar  our  return  to  the 
allegiance  of  a  prince,  who,  by  his  royal  will,  would  deprive  us  of 
every  blessing  of  life,  with  all  possible  clemency. 

We  are  domestic,  we  are  industrious,  we  are  infirm  and  timid;  we 
shall  remain  quietly  at  home,  and  not  remove  our  cattle,  or  corn,  or 
forage,  in  hopes  that  you  will  come  at  the  head  of  troops  in  full  powers 
of  health,  discipline  and  valor,  and  take  charge  of  them  for  your- 
selves. Behold  our  wives  and  daughters,  our  flocks  and  herds,  our 
goods  and  chattels. —  Are  they  not  at  the  mercy  of  our  Lord  the  King, 
and  of  his  Lieutenant-general,  member  of  the  House  of  Commons,  and 
governor  of  Fort  William  in  North  Britain. 

(Moore,    Diary    of   the   Revolution    (1876),    page   457-59.) 


ILLUSTRATIVE  DOCUMENTS  343 


PROCLAMATION  OF  THE  ELECTION  OF  THE  FIRST 

GOVERNOR 

July  30,  1777 

"In  Council  of  Safety  for  the  State  of  New  York, 

July  30,  1777. 

"A  Proclamation. 

"WHEREAS  His  Excellency  George  Clinton,  has  been  duly  elected 
governor  of  this  State  of  New  York,  and  hath  this  day  qualified  him- 
self for  the  execution  of  his  office,  by  taking  in  this  Council  the  oaths 
required  by  the  constitution  of  this  State,  to  enable  him  to  exercise  his 
said  office;  This  Council  doth  therefore,  hereby,  in  the  name  and.  by  the 
authority  of  the  good  people  of  this  State,  proclaim  and  declare  the 
said  George  Clinton,  Esqr.  Governor,  General  and  Commander-in- 
Chief  of  all  the  militia,  and  Admiral  of  the  navy  of  this  State,  to  whom 
the  good  people  of  this  State  are  to  pay  all  due  obedience,  according 
to  the  laws  and  constitution  thereof. 

"By  order  of  the  Council  of  Safety. 

"PIERRE  VAN  CORTLANDT,  President. 

"God  save  the  people." 

Ordered,  That  Mr  John  Holt  immediately  print  500  copies  of  the 
said  proclamation. 

Ordered,  That  the  said  proclamation  be  made  and  published  by  the 
sheriff  of  Ulster  county,  at  or  near  the  court  house  in  Kingston, 
in  Ulster  county,  at  six  o'clock  this  afternoon. 

Resolved  and  ordered.  That  Capt.  Evert  Bogardus  and  Capt.  John 
Elmendorph  do  cause  the  companies  of  militia  under  their  respective 
commands  to  appear  at  the  court  house  in  Kingston,  at  six  o'clock  this 
afternoon,  properly  armed  and  accoutered,  at  which  time  and  place 
His  Excellency  George  Clinton  will  be  proclaimed  Governor  of  this 
State. 

{Journals  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  1:1021—22) 


344  THE  AMERICAN   REVOLUTION  IN   NEW  YORK 


COMMISSIONERS   FOR  DETECTING  AND  DEFEATING 
CONSPIRACIES 

February  5,  1778 
WHEREAS  the  late  convention  did  appoint  a  board  of  commissioners 
for  the   purpose  of   inquiring  into   detecting  and   defeating  all   con- 
spiracies which  might  be  formed  in  this  State  against  the  liberties  of 
America 

And  Whereas,  by  reason  of  the  present  invasion  of  this  State 
and  of  the  disaffection  of  sundry  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  same,  it  will 
be  expedient  to  continue  the  said  board  which  experience  hath  shewn 
to  be  of  great  use  and  importance.  To  the  end  therefore  that  the  State 
and  the  peace  of  the  same  maybe  efectually  guarded  and  secured  against 
the  wicked  machinations  and  designs  of  the  foreign  and  domestic  foes 
thereof 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  New  York  represented  in 
Senate  and  Assembly  and  it  is  hereby  enacted  by  the  authority  of  the 
same  That  the  Governor,  lieutenant  governor,  or  president  of  the  sen- 
ate who  for  the  time  being  shall  administer  the  government  of  this 
State  be  and  he  hereby  is  authorized  and  empowered  from  time  to  time 
to  appoint  by  commission  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the 
council  of  appointment  so  many  persons  not  exceeding  ten  as  he  shall 
think  proper  to  be  commissioners  for  the  Purposes  aforesaid  and  that 
the  said  commissioners  or  any  three  of  them  be  and  they  hereby  are 
authorized  and  empowered  to  do  and  perform  the  several  acts  matters 
and  things  herein  after  mentioned  viz:  that  the  said  commissioners  or 
any  three  of  them  shall  be  and  they  hereby  are  authorized  and  em- 
powered to  send  for  persons  and  papers  and  administer  oaths  and  to 
apprehend  and  confine  or  cause  to  be  apprehended  and  confined  in  such 
manner  and  under  such  restrictions  and  limitations  as  to  them  shall 
appear  necessary  for  the  public  safety  all  persons  whose  going  at 
large  shall  in  the  judgment  of  the  said  commissioners  or  any  three  of 
them  appear  dangerous  to  the  safety  of  this  State.  To  take  bonds  and 
recognizances  from  time  to  time  to  the  people  of  this  State  for  the  good 
behavior  safe  custody  or  appearance  of  such  of  the  said  persons  and  of 
all  others  now  eonfined  for  the  like  cause  as  they  may  think  proper  in 
such  sums  and  upon  such  conditions  as  unto  them  shall  appear  ex- 
pedient; and  the  said  bonds  and  recognizances  if  forfeited  to  prosecute 
or  to  cancel  and  release  upon  such  terms  and  conditions  and  to  dis- 
charge from  confinement  any  of  the  said  persons  absolutely  and  with- 
out any  terms  dr  conditions  as  they  may  think  proper  and  also  from 


ILLUSTRATIVE  DOCUMENTS  345 

time  to  time  to  make  such  provision  for  the  safe  custody  and  comfort- 
able subsistence  of  all  persons  who  may  from  time  to  time  be  so- con- 
fined as  aforesaid  in  such  manner  as  they  may  think  proper  provided 
always  that  by  reason  or  colour  of  any  thing  herein  contained  the 
said  commissioners  or  any  of  them  shall  not  be  empowered  to  inflict 
any  corporal  punishment  upon  any  or  either  of  the  said  persons  con- 
fined as  aforesaid. 

*         *         *  *         •K-         * 

And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid  that  the  said 
commissioners  shall  keep  regular  minutes  of  all  their  proceedings  in 
order  that  the  same  may  be  submitted  if  required  to  the  consideration 
of  the  senate  or  assembly  or  of  such  person  or  persons  as  shall  be  for 
that  purpose  appointed;  and  that  each  and  every  of  the  said  comission- 
ers  do  receive  for  every  day  in  which  he  shall  be  actually  employed  in 
the  business  aforesaid  the  sum  of  twenty  shillings,  for  his  trouble  and 
expence,  in  attending  upon  the  same. 

And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid  that  this  act 
shall  continue  in  force,  until  the  first  day  of  November,  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  seventy  eight,  and  no  longer. 

{Laws  of  the  State  of  New  York,  1:8-10) 


NEW  YORK  RATIFIES  THE  ARTICLES  OF  CONFEDERATION 

February  6,  1778 

[The  Articles  of  Confederation  preceded  the  following  measure] 

Be  it  enacted  and  declared  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  New— York 
represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly  and  it  is  hereby  enacted  and  de- 
clared by  the  authority  of  the  same  That  the  said  several  above  recited 
articles  of  confederation  and  all  and  singular  the  clauses,  matters  and 
things  in  the  same  contained  be  and  the  same  are  hereby  fully  accepted, 
received  and  approved  of,  for  and  in  behalf  of  the  people  of  this  State. 

And  to  the  end  that  the  same  may  with  alTdue  form  and  solemnity 
be  ratified  and  confirmed  by  this  State  in  congress. 

Be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid  that  the  delegates  of 
this  State  in  the  said  congress  of  the  United  States  of  America  or  any 
two  of  the  said  delegates  shall  be  and  hereby  are  fully  authorized  im- 
powered  and  required  wholly  entirely  and  absolutely  for  and  in  be- 
half of  the  people  of  this  State  and  in  such  manner  and  under  such 
formalities  as  shall  be  determined  in  congress  to  ratify  and  confirm  all 


346  THE  AMERICAN   REVOLUTION  IN  NEW  YORK 

and  every  of  the  said  above  recited  articles  of  confederation  and  all 
and  singular  the  clauses  matters  and  things  in  the  same  contained  and 
that  on  exemplification  of  this  act  tested  by  his  excellency  the  governor, 
or  the  lieutenant  governor,  or  president  of  the  senate  of  this  State  for 
the  time  being  administring  the  government  and  authenticated  with  the 
great  seal  of  this  State  shall  be  full  and  conclusive  evidence  of  this 
act  provided  always  that  nothing  in  this  act  or  the  said  above  recited 
articles  of  confederation  contained  nor  any  act  matter  or  thing  to  be 
done  and  transacted  by  the  delegates  of  this  State  in  congress  in  and 
concerning  the  premises  or  any  part  thereof  shall  bind  or  oblige  or  be 
construed  deemed  or  esteemed  to  bind  or  oblige  the  government  legis- 
lature people  subjects  inhabitants  or  residents  of  this  State  until  the 
said  above  recited  articles  of  confederation  shall  have  been  duly  ratified 
and  confirmed  by  or  in  behalf  of  all  the  said  United  States  in  congress 
assembled  any  thing  herein  or  in  the  said  above  recited  articles  of  con- 
federation contained  to  the  contrary  thereof  in  anywise  notwithstanding. 

(Laws  of  the  State  of  New  York,  1:1-8) 


ACT  TO  PROCURE  SHOES  AND  STOCKINGS  FOR  THE 
NEW  YORK  THOOPS 

March  19,  1778 
WHEREAS  a  number  of  shoes  and  stockings  are  wanted  for  the  use 
of  the  troops  already  raised  and  to  be  raised  under  the  direction  of 
this  State. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  New-York  represented  in 
Senate  and  Assembly  and  it  is  hereby  enacted  by  the  authority  of  the 
same  That  the  supervisors  of  each  respective  county  within  this  State, 
hereinafter  mentioned  shall  cause  to  be  procured  within  their  said 
county  the  number  of  good  strong  shoes  made  of  neats  leather  and 
good  strong  woollen  stockings  annexed  to  each  respective  county  viz. 
The  County  of  Westchester  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  pair  of  stock- 
ings and  one  hundred  and  four  pair  of  shoes.  The  county  of  Dutchess 
four  hundred  and  fifty  pair  of  stockings  and  three  hundred  and  seventy 
five  pair  of  shoes.  The  county  of  Orange  two  hundred  and  fifty  pair 
of  stockings  and  two  hundred  and  eight  pair  of  shoes.  The  county  of 
Ulster  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  pair  of  stockings  and  three  hun- 
dred and  thirteen  pair  of  shoes.  The  county  of  Albany  eight  hundred 
and  fifty  pair  of  stockings  and  seven  hundred  and  eight  pair  of  shoes, 


ILLUSTRATIVE  DOCUMENTS  347 

and  the  county  of  Tryon  three  hundred  and  fifty  pair  of  stockings,  and 
two  hundred  and  ninety-two  pair  of  shoes,  amounting  in  the  whole  to 
two  thousand  four  hundred  pair  of  stockings  and  two  thousand  pair  of 
shoes  to  be  collected  in  manner  following  viz.  That  the  supervisors 
of  the  several  cities  towns  manors,  districts  and  precints  shall  meet 
on  the  second  Tuesday  in  April  next  at  the  usual  places  of  supervisors 
meetings  in  the  respective  counties  (except  in  the  counties  of  West- 
chester and  Ulster  in  the  former  of  which  the  sup^ervisors  shall  meet 
at  the  house  of  John  Furman  in  Bedford,  and  in  the  latter  at  the  house 
of  Ann  DuBois  at  the  New  Paltz)  and  there  apportion  the  quota  of 
shoes  and  stockings  which  the  several  cities  towns  borroughs,  manors 
precincts  and  districts  within  their  respective  counties  shall  furnish; 
and  for  the  more  .equal  and  convenient  collecting  the  same. 

It  is  hereby  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid  That  the  said  several 
supervisors  in  their  respective  wards  towns  districts  and  precincts  shall 
within  convenient  time  after  the  several  quotas  shall  have  been  appor- 
tioned as  aforesaid,,  deliver  to  the  assessors  of  the  respective  wards, 
towns  manors  districts  or  precincts  an  account  of  the  number  of  pair 
of  shoes  and  stockings  at  which  the  quota  of  the  said  ward  town  manor 
district  or  precinct  shall  have  been  so  apportioned;  and  the  assessors 
thereupon  shall  determine  the  number  of  pair  of  shoes  and  stockings 
which  the  inhabitants  of  the  said  ward,  town  manor  district  or  precinct 
ought  respectively  to  furnish  and  who  in  their  judgment  can  best  spare 
or  procure  the  same  and  shall  nominate  and  appoint  in  each  respective 
city  town  borough  manor  precinct  and  district,  a  number  of  persons 
not  less  than  three  as  collectors  of  shoes  and  stockings  who  are  hereby 
authorized  and  required  to  collect  from  the  several  inhabitants  the 
number  of  shoes  and  stockings  which  by  the  assessors  shall  have  been 
so  determined  on  as  aforesaid  and  the  said  inhabitants  shall  be  allowed 
for  every  pair  of  good  leather  shoes  with  which  they  shall  severally 
furnish  the  collectors  the  sum  of  sixteen  shillings  and  for  every  pair 
of  good  woollen  stockings  the  sum  of  fourteen  shillings;  and  in  case 
any  of  the  said  inhabitants  shall  neglect  or  refuse  to  furnish  the  said 
collectors  with  the  shoes  or  stockings  they  shall  be  directed  so  to 
furnish  them  with,  within  thirty  days  after  such  shoes  or  stockings 
shall  be  demanded  by  the  collectors  appointed  as  aforesaid  the  delin- 
quents shall  for  such  offence  forfeit  the  sum  of  ten  dollars  for  every 
pair  of  shoes  and  ten  dollars  for  every  pair  of  stockings  he  she  or  they 
shall  so  neglect  or  refuse  to  furnish  as  aforesaid,  to  be  recovered  in  a 
summary  way  before  any  one  Justice  of  the  peace  within  the  said  county 
with  costs  of  suit  by  anyone  of  the  collectors  appointed  as  aforesaid 
within  the  city  town  borough  manor  precinct  or  district  where  the  said 
12 


348  THE  AMERICAN   REVOLUTION   IN   NEW  YORK 

offence  shall  have  been  committed;  which  said  fines  when  recovered 
shall  be  applied  by  the  collectors  aforesaid  to  the  purchase  of  shoes 
and  stockings  for  the  use  t)f  the  troops  before  mentioned,  and  the  said 
collectors  shall  deposit  the  shoes  and  stockings  so  to  be  collected  in 
such  place  or  places  as  the  supervisor  of  the  ward  town  manor  district 
or  precinct  in  which  they  were  collected  shall  direct  to  be  by  him  de- 
livered to  Peter  T.  Curtenius,  Esq.  commissary  to  purchase  cloathing 
for  this  State  or  such  person  or  persons  as  he  shall  authorize  to  receive 
the  same,  who  is  hereby  directed  to  pay  the  several  supervisors  for  so 
many  pair  of  shoes  and  stockings  as  he  shall  receive  from  them  respec- 
tively at  and  after  the  rates  and  prices  as  above  mentioned  together 
with  one  shilling  for  every  pair  of  shoes  and  one  shilling  for  every  pair 
of  stockings  which  he  shall  receive  as  aforesaid  which  said  monies 
shall  be  paid  by  the  several  supervisors  to  the  several  collectors  to 
enable  them  to  pay  for  the  shoes  and  stockings  they  shall  have  severally 
collected  and  as  a  compensation  for  their  trouble. 

{Laws  of  the  State  of  New  York,  1:24-25) 


ACT  FOR  THE  FORFEITURE  AND  SALE  OF  THE  PROPERTY 

OF  LOYALISTS 

October  22,  1779 
WHEREAS  during  the  present  unjust  and  cruel  war  waged  by  the 
king  of  Great  Britain  against  this  State,  and  the  other  United  States 
of  America,  divers  persons  holding  or  claiming  property  within  this 
State  have  voluntarily  been  adherent  to  the  said  King  his  fleets  and 
armies,  enemies  to  this  State  and  the  said  other  United  States,  with 
intent  to  subvert  the  government  and  liberties  of  this  State  and  the  said 
other  United  States,  and  to  bring  the  same  in  subjection  to  the  crown  of 
Great  Britain  by  reason  whereof  the  said  persons  have  severally  justly 
forfeited  all  right  to  the  protection  of  this  State  and  to  the  benefit  of 
the  laws  under  which  said  property  is  held  or  claimed 

And  whereas  the  public  justice  and  safety  of  this  State  absolutely 
req  lire  that  the  most  notorious  offenders  should  be  immediately  hereby 
convicted  and  attainted  of  the  offense  aforesaid  in  order  to  work  a 
forfeiture  of  their  respective  estates  and  vest  the  same  in  the  people 
of  this  State.  And  whereas  the  Constitution  of  this  State  hath  author- 
ized the  legislature  to  pass  acts  of  attainder,  for  crimes  committed 
before  the  termination  of  the  present  war. 


ILLUSTRATIVE  DOCUMENTS  .       349 

I.  Be  it  therefore  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  New  York 
represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly  and  it  is  hereby  enacted  by  the 
authority  of  the  same,  That,  John  Murray  earl  of  Dunmore  formerly 
governor  of  the  colony  of  New  York,  William  Tryon  Esquire  late 
governor  of  the  said  colony,  John  Watts,  Oliver  DeLancey,  Hugh  Wal- 
lace, Henry  White  [and  fifty-four  other  names]  be  and  each  of  them 
are  hereby  severally  declared  to  be  ipso  facto  convicted  and  attainted 
of  the  offense  aforesaid,  and  that  all  and  singular  the  estate  both  real 
and  personal  held  or  claimed  by  them  the  said  persons  severally  and 
respectively,  whether  in  possession,  reversion  or  remainder,  within  this 
State,  on  the  day  of  the  passing  of  this  act,  shall  be  and  hereby  is 
declared  to  be  forfeited  to,  and  vested  in  the  people  of  this  State. 

II.  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid.  That  the 
said  several  persons  hereinbefore  particularly  named  shall  be  and 
hereby  are  declared  to  be  forever  banished  from  this  State,  and  each  and 
every  of  them  who  shall  at  any  time  hereafter  be  found  in  any  part  of 
this  State,  shall  be  and  are  hereby  adjudged  and  declared  guilty  of 
felony,  and  shall  suffer  death  as  in  cases  of  felony  without  benefit  of 
clergy. 

And  to  the  end  That  for  the  purpose  aforesaid  convictions  and  at- 
tainder for  the  offense  aforesaid  may  in  pursuance  of  this  act,  be  had 
against  other  offenders  than  those  hereinbefore  particularly  named. 
*     *     *  *     *     * 

IX.  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  That  be- 
sides the  several  matters  by  the  law  of  England  declared  to  be  evi- 
dence and  overt  acts  of  high  treason  in  adhering  to  the  king's  enemies, 
and  which  are  hereby  declared  to  be  evidence  and  overt  acts  of  high 
treason  in  adhering  to  the  enemies  of  the  people  of  this  State  as 
sovereign  thereof,  the  following  matters  shall  be  and  are  hereby  de- 
clared to  be  evidence  and  overt  acts  of  adhering  to  the  enemies  of  the 
people  of  this  State,  whereon  and  for  which  persons  may  in  pursuance 
of  this  act  be  indicted  and  convicted  for  the  offence  aforesaid,  that  is 
to  say,  being  at  any  time  since  the  ninth  day  of  July  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  seventy  six  (the  day  of  the 
declaration  of  the  independence  of  this  State  within  the  same)  in  any 
part  of  the  United  States,  not  in  the  power  or  possession  of  the  fleets  or 
armies  of  the  king. of  Great  Britain,  and  afterwards  voluntarily  with- 
drawing to  any  place  within  the  power  or  possession  of  the  king  of 
Great  Britain,  his  fleets  or  armies;  or  being  apprehended  by  order  of 
or  authority  from  the  commander  in  chief  of  the  armies  of  the  said 
United  States,  or  of  or  from  the  provincial  congress,  or  conventions  or 


350  THE  AMERICAN   REVOLUTION  IN   NEW  YORK 

.committees  thereof,  or  councils  of  safety,  of  this  State,  or  the  commis- 
sioners above  mentioned  appointed  for  enquiring  into  detecting  and 
defeating  all  conspiracies  which  may  be  formed  in  this  State  against 
the  liberties  of  America,  or  county,  district  or  precinct  committees 
within  this  State,  or  by  the  supreme  executive  authority  of  this  State, 
and  confined  within  certain  limits  upon  engagements  by  parole  or  other- 
wise, not  to  go  beyond  such  limits,  and  breaking  such  engagements,  and 
voluntarily  escaping  to  any  place  in  the  power  of  the  fleets  or  armies 
of  Great  Britain,  or  being  so  confined  as  aforesaid,  and  afterwards 
permitted  by  proper  authority  to  go  to  any  place  in  the  power  of  the 
fleets  or  armies  of  Great  Britain  upon  engagement  to  return  within  a 
certain  given  time,  and  not  returning  within  such  time  but  afterwards 
remaining  at  any  place  within  the  power  of  possession  of  the  fleets  or 
armies  of  Great  Britain. 

*      *     *  *     *     * 

XIV.  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  That  the 
absolute  property  of  all  messuages  lands  tenements  and  hereditaments 
and  of  all  rents  royalties,  franchises,  prerogatives,  priviledges,  escheats, 
forfeitures,  debts,  dues  duties  and  services  by  whatsoever  names  respec- 
tively the  same  are  called  and  known  in  the  law,  and  all  right  and 
title  to  the  same,  which  next  and  immediately  before  the  ninth  day  of 
July  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  seventy 
six,  did  vest  in,  or  belong,  or  was,  or  were  due  to  the  crown  of  Great 
Britain  be,  and  the  same  and  each  and  every  of  them  hereby  are  de- 
clared to  be,  and  ever  since  the  said  ninth  day  of  July,  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  seventy  six,  to  have  been, 
and  forever  after  shall  be  vested  in  the  people  of  this  State,  in  whom 
the  sovereignty  and  seignory  thereof,  are  and  were  united  and  vested, 
on  and  from  the  said  ninth  day  of  July,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  seventy  six. 

XV.  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid.  That  the 
person  administring  the  government  of  this  State  for  the  time  being 
shall  be,  and  he  is  hereby  authorized  and  required  by  and  with  the 
advice  and  consent  of  the  council  of  appointment  to  appoint,  during 
the  pleasure  of  the  said  council,  and  commission  under  the  great  seal  of 
this  State,  three  commissioners  of  forfeitures  for  each  of  the  great 
districts  of  this  State.  That  the  said  commissioners  or  a  majority  of 
them  shall  be,  and  hereby  are  authorized  and  required  from  time  to 
time,  to  sell  and  dispose  of  all  real  estate  within  their  respective  dis- 
tricts, forfeited  or  to  be  forfeited  to  the  people  of  this  State,  at  public 
vendue  to  the  highest  bidder  or  bidders,  and  in  such  parcels  as  they 


ILLUSTRATIVE  DOCUMENTS  351 

shall  from  time  to  time  think  proper  first  giving  eight  weeks  notice 
of  each  sale  in  one  or  more  of  the  public  news  papers  in  this  State 
containing  a  description  as  to  the  quantity  by  estimation  of  the  lands 
or  tenements  to  be  sold,  the  situation  thereof  and  the  name  or  names 
of  the  person  or  persons  by  the  conviction  and  attainder  of  whom  the 
said  lands  or  tenements  are  deemed  to  have  become  forfeited,  and  to 
make  seal  and  deliver  to  the  purchaser  or  purchasers  respectively  good 
and  sufficient  deeds  and  conveyances  in  the  law,  to  vest  the  same  in 
tliem  respectively  and  their  respective  heirs  and  assigns  upon  such 
purchaser  or  purchasers  respectively  producing  such  receipt  from  the 
treasurer  as  is  hereinafter  mentioned.  That  every  such  purchaser  and 
purchasers  shall  by  virtue  of  such  deeds  and  conveyances  respectively 
be  so  vested  in  title  seizin  and  possession  of  the  lands  and  tenements 
so  purchased  as  to  have  and  maintain  in  his,  her  or  their  name  or 
names  any  action  for  recovery  thereof  or  damages  relating  thereto 
any  actual  seizin  or  possession  thereof  in  any  other  person  or  persons 
notwithstanding.  That  every  such  deed  and  conveyance  shall  be  deemed 
to  operate  as  a  warranty  from  the  people  of  this  State,  to  the  purchaser 
or  purchasers  respectively  and  their  respective  heirs  and  assigns  for  the 
lands  or  tenements  thereby  respectively  granted  and  conveyed  against 
all  claims  titles  and  encumbrances  whatsoever  and  such  purchaser  or 
purchasers  respectively  and  their  respective  heirs  or  assigns  shall  in 
case  of  eviction  have  such  remedy  and  relief  upon  such  warranty  in 
such  manner  as  shall  be  more  particularly  provided  for  in  such  future 
act  or  acts  of  the  legislature  as  are  hereinafter  mentioned 

Provided  that  the  said  commissioner  shall  not  be  authorized  to  sell 
any  lands  in  larger  parcels  than  the  quantity  of  five  hundred  acres 
in  each  parcel,  that  no  more  than  one  farfti  shall  be  included  in  one 
and  the  same  sale,  and  that  the  sale  shall  be  made  in  the  county  where 
the  lands  or  tenements  to  be  sold  respectively  lie. 

46"  TT  'W  TT  *  TT 

XVII.  And  whereas  in  many  instances,  lands,  the  reversion  or  re- 
mainder whereof  is  or  may  become  forfeited  to  this  State,  are  possessed 
by  tenants  who  have  at  considerable  expence  made  or  purchased  the 
improvements  on  the  same,  and  which  tenants  have  constantly,  uni- 
formly and  zealously,  since  the  commencement  of  the  present  war, 
endeavored  to  defend  and  maintain  the  freedom  and  independence  of 
these  United  States. 

*      *      *  *      *      * 

XVIII.  Be  it  therefore  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid. 
That  where  lands  the  reversion  or  remainder  whereof  is  hereby   or 


352  THE  AMERICAN   REVOLUTION   IN   NEW  YORK 

may  become  forfeited  to  the  people  of  this  State,  shall  be  possessed 
by  any  tenant  of  the  character  above  described,  and  who,  or  whose 
ancestor,  testator  or  intestate,  shall  have  made  or  purchased  the  im- 
provements on  the  same,  they  shall  continue  in  possession  at  their 
former  rents  and  be  at  liberty  as  heretofore  to  transfer  their  improve- 
ments untill  the  fee  simple  of  the  said  lands  shall  be  sold,  they  paying 
their  respective  rents  and  the  present  arearages  thereof  in  money  equal 
to  the  current  prices  of  the  articles  of  produce  in  which  their  rents 
were  heretofore  paid,  into  the  treasury  of  this  State,  if  such  rents  were 
reserved  and  produced,  or  if  reserved  in  money  then  in  so  much 
money  as  will  be  equivalent  to  the  price  of  wheat  at  seven  shillings  per 
bushel.  And  that  when  the  fee  simple  of  the  said  lands  shall  be  sold 
by  the  commissioners  to  be  appointed  in  pursuance  of  this  act,  they 
shall  cause  such  lands  to  be  appraised  by  three  appraisers,  at  what 
shall  be  deemed  the  then  present  value  thereof,  exclusive  of  the  im- 
provements thereon,  at  the  time  of  appraising;  That  one  of  the  said 
appraisers  shall  be  elected  by  the  commissioners,  another  by  the  tenant 
claiming  the  benefit  intended  by  this  clause,  and  the  third  by  the 
said  other  two  appraisers;  That  the  said  appraisers  previous  to  the 
making  of  such  appraisements,  shall  each  of  them  take  an  oath,  and 
which  oath  the  said  commissioners  are  hereby  authorized  to  administer 
well  and  truly  to  appraise  the  lands  held  by  such  tenant  at  what  shall  be 
deemed  the  then  value  thereof,  exclusive  of  the  improvements  thereon ; 
and  upon  payment  into  the  treasury  by  such  tenant  of  the  sum  at  which 
such  lands  shall  be  so  appraised,  within  three  months  after  the  making 
of  such  appraisement,  together  with  all  arrearages  of  rents,  then  due 
thereon,  the  commissioners  shall  convey  the  lands  so  appraised  to  such 
tenant,  in  like  manner  as  if  such  lands  had  been  sold  at  publick  vendue, 
and  such  tenant  had  appeared  and  been  the  highest  bidder  for  the 
same  Provided  that  no  person  being  a  tenant  himself  or  of  affinity 
or  consanguinity  to  the  tenant  requiring  such  appraisement  to  be  made, 
shall  be  an  appraiser. 

And  in  order  that  the  commissioners  may  be  enabled  to  determine 
who  are  the  proper  objects  of  the  benefit  intended  by  the  aforegoing 
clause. 

XIX.  Be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid.  That  no 
tenant  shall  be  entitled  to  such  benefit,  unless  he  or  she  shall  within 
one  month  after  the  same  shall  be  required  of  him  or  her  by  the 
said  commissioners,  produced  to  them  a  certificate  to  be  subscribed 
by  at  least  twelve  reputable  inhabitants  of  the  county  of  known  and 
undoubted  attachment  to  the  American  cause,  to  be  approved  of  by 


ILLUSTRATIVE  DOCUMENTS  353 

the  commissioners,  and  which  inhabitants  shall  severally  declare  upon 
oath  the  truth  of  the  matter  by  them  certified,  before  a  justice  of  the 
peace  of  the  county,  who  is  hereby  authorized  to  administer  such  oath, 
certifying  that  such  tenant  had  constantly  and  uniformly  since  the  said 
ninth  day  of  July,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  seventy-six,  de- 
meaned himself,  or  herself,  as  a  friend  to  the  freedom  and  independence 
of  the  United  States,  and  hath,  as  far  forth  as  his  or  her  circumstances 
would  admit,  taken  an  active  and  decisive  part,  to  maintain  and  pro- 
mote the  same. 

*     *     *  *      *     * 

XXIV.  And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid.  That 
the  treasurer  of  this  State  shall  in  his  accounts  of  the  monies  arising 
by  the  sales  of  forfeited  estates  specify  the  names  of  the  several  per- 
sons to  whom  the  several  estates  immediately  before  the  forfeiture 
thereof  were  deemed  to  belong  as  the  same  shall  appear  from  the 
certificate  of  the  commissioners:  To  the  end  that  when  the  legislature 
shall  by  future  act  or  acts  to  be  passed  for  the  purpose,  provide  for 
the  payment  of  the  debts  due  from  the  said  persons  respectively  the 
amount  of  the  monies  arising  from  the  sales  of  their  respective  estates 
may  with  a  greater  ease  be  ascertained. 

{Laws  of  the  State  of  New  York,  1:173-84) 


GOVERNOR  CLINTON  DEFENDS  THE  PATRIOTISM  OF 

NEW  YORK 

November  24,  178] 

Poughkeepsie,  Novr.  24,  1781 
Sir:  During  the  Recess  of  the  Legislature  of  this  State  I  received 
several  Letters  from  the  Superintendent  of  Finance;  which  were  laid 
before  them  in  their  late  Session  and  the  Result  of  their  Deliberations 
were  certain  Resolutions,  a  copy  whereof  agreable  to  their  Request 
I  do  myself  the  Honor  to  transmit  to  your  Excellency. 

With  the  Legislature  I  may  venture  to  pledge  myself  for  the  truth 
of  the  Facts  contained  in  the  Resolutions,  &  in  the  letter  of  the  15th 
of  Feby.  "last.  Indeed  the  essential  facts,  and  from  which  the  Inability 
of  the  State  is  necessarily  to  be  inferred,  namely  the  Deprivation  of 
Commerce,  the  Loss  and  Devastation  of  Territory  by  the  Enemy,  the 
Usurpations  of  our  Revolted  Subjects  and  the  subsistence  of  the 
Greater  Part  of  the  Army  in  the  articles  of  the  Bread  and  Forage  for 
a  series  of  Campaigns  on  credit,  and  the  amount  of  the  Debts  thus 


354  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION   IN   NEW   YORK 

contracted  still  do,  either  to  the  Inhabitants  individually,  or  to  the 
State  in  consequence  of  receiving  the  Purchasing  Officer's  Certificates 
in  payment  for  Taxes,  are  of  such  universal  notoriety  that  I  shall  pre- 
sume it  unnecessary  further  to  evince  them;  I  shall,  therefore,  only 
observe  in  addition  that  there  is  more  than  a  Hazard  that  we  shall  not 
be  able  without  a  change  in  our  Circumstances  long  to  maintain  our 
Civil  Government. 

This  State  I  flatter  myself  has  for  its  spirit  &  Exertions  in  the  War 
stood  equal  in  point  of  reputation  with  any  other  in  the  Union,  and 
notwithstanding  our  Misfortunes  &  Injuries  and  notwithstanding  our 
Legislature  is,  with  respect  to  the  Individuals  who  compose  it,  fluctu- 
ating, I  am  confident  the  people  at  large  and  their  Representatives 
in  Gov't,  still  retain  the  same  spirit,  &  are  equally  disposed  to  every 
possible  Eff"ort  in  the  Common  Cause.  I  mention  this,  lest  it  be 
supposed  that  we  were  sinking  under  our  Distresses,  or  were  attendg 
to  our  particular  interest  without  a  due  Regard  to  the  Gen'l  Good. 
I  trust  there  can  be  no  higher  Evidence  of  a  sincere  Disposition  in 
the  State  to  promote  the  common  interests,  than  the  alacrity  with 
which  they  passed  the  law  for  grant'g  to  Congress  a  Duty  on  Imports, 
and  their  present  Proff'er  to  accede  to  any  propositions  which  may  be 
made  for  rendering  the  Union  among  the  States  more  intimate,  and 
for  enabling  Congress  to  draw  forth  &  employ  the  resources  of  the 
whole  Empire  with  the  utmost  Vigor;  for  althoo  we  are  unable  in 
our  present  condition  to  contribute  an  immediate  pecuniary  aid,  we 
have  Prospects  of  future  Wealth  &  Ability,  when  by  a  Peace,  and  the 
Determination  of  the  Controversy  relative  to  our  Boundaries,  we 
shall  be  restoi'ed  to  the  entire  possession  of  the  State.  These  prospects 
we  are  willing  to  anticipate,  &  do  not  hesitate  t  o  give  assurances 
that  this  State  will,  on  her  part,  chearfully  consent  to  vest  to  Sover- 
eignty of  the  United  States  with  every  power  requisite  to  an  eff^ectual 
defence  agaiuot  foreign  Invasion  &  for  the  Preservation  of  Internal 
Peace  and  Harmony;  and  as  an  individual,  I  cannot  forbear  declaring 
my  Sentiments  that  the  Defects  in  the  Powers  of  Congress  are  the  chief 
source  of  present  Embarrassm'ts  and  as  a  Friend  to  the  Independence 
&  True  Interests  &  Happiness  of  America,  I  could  wish  to  be  indulged 
in  expressing  an  earnest  Desire  that  Measures  might  be  taken  to  remedy 
these  Defects. 

While  Congress  in  their  Requisitions  are  subject  to  the  Controul 
of  the  several  Legislatures,  we  can  have  no  Reason  to  expect  that  the 
aggregate  strength  of  the  Country  including  in  the  Idea,  Men,  Money, 
&  Supplies  of  every  kind,  can  be  properly  applied  to  the  great  Pur- 
poses of  the  Union. 


ILLUSTRATIVE  DOCUMENTS  355 

With  respect  to  the  Application  for  a  loan  of  Powder,  I  would 
observe  that  our  State  Magazine  is  now  entirely  exhausted  and  we  have 
no  means  to  supply  it;  the  Stock  which  we  have  hitherto  had  has  been 
wholly  expended  in  the  Common  Defense,  and  should  the  Militia  be 
called  out,  we  could  not  avail  ourselves  of  their  Services  for  want  of 
this  essential  Article. 

The  case  of  the  Artificers  in  the  several  Departments  within  this 
State,  is  truly  deplorable.  Many  of  them  are  Refugees  from  the 
Parts  of  the  State  in  the  Possession,  or  open  to  Incursions  of  the 
Enemy,  with  Families  and  no  Means  of  Subsistence  other  than  their 
wages.  There  are  Arrears  due  to  many  of  them  since  1778,  and  they  are 
reduced  to  the  utmost  Distress;  unless,  therefore,  they  can  be  relieved, 
they  must  inevitably  leave  the  Service,  which  will  be  attended  with 
the  most  injurious  consequences,  as  it  will  be  impossible  to  procure 
substitutes.  As  I  am  informed  by  the  State  Agent  that  he  has  lately 
addressed  a  letter  to  the  Superintendent  of  Finance  explaining  fully 
the  necessity  of  a  speedy  settlement  of  his  accounts,  I  will  only  beg 
leave  to  add  on  that  Subject  that  there  is  a  reason  to  apprehend,  should 
this  business  be  delayed  that  the  greatest  Care  &  Attention  of  the 
Public  Officers  concerned  will  not  be  sufficient  to  Prevent  Abuses;  as 
from  the  nature  of  the  service  the  Delivery  of  the  Supplies,  must  fre- 
quently be  made  to  Boatmen  &  others  of  low  character,  and  whose 
receipts  are  the  only  Vouchers  the  Agent  can  in  these  Circumstances 
procure. 

I  have  me  honor  to  be,  &c  &c  &c 

His  Excellency  John  Hanson  Esqr., 

Presidt   of   Congress. 

{Public  Papers  of  George  Clinton,  7:520—22) 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  PROGRAMS  OF  THE  150TH  ANNIVER- 
SARY OF  THE  REVOLUTION 

In  1923  the  Governor  and  Legislature  appropriated  $5000  to  the 
New  York  State  Historical  Association  to  report  on  "  the  appropriate 
celebration  of  the  150th  anniversary  of  the  important  events  in  this 
State  during  the  Revolutionary  period." "  That  association  recom- 
mended: 

1  That  the  150th  anniversary  of  the  Revolution  should  be  suitably 
observed  by  the  people  of  the  State. 

2  That  the  initiative  for  the  program  and  for  State  appropriation 
should  be  taken  by  the  Board  of  Regents. 

On  January  1,  1925,  the  Board  of  Regents  appointed  a  special  com- 
mittee which  recommended: 

A  statewide  celebration  covering  the  civil  and  military  anni- 
versaries of  the  two  most  important  years  of  the  Revolution,  namely, 
1776  and  1777. 

In  1926  the  celebrations  should  center  on  (a)  New  York's  ratifica- 
tion of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  on  July  9,  1776,  and  its 
proclamation  over  the  State;  (6)  the  military  events  about  New  York 
City  such  as  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  the  battle  of  Harlem  Heights, 
the  battle  of  White  Plains,  and  minor  engagements. 

While  these  ceremonies  will  be  held,  naturally,  at  the  places  where 
the  events  commemorated  occurred,  it  is  hoped  that  all  the  cities,  vil- 
lages, towns  and  communities  will  participate  in  some  form  of  local 
celebration.  The  Declaration  of  Independence  involved  the  whole 
State.  No  doubt  it  was  read  to  the  troops  everywhere  and  proclaimed 
by  every  community  in  the  State.  This  year,  1926,  every  political  sub- 
division, every  civic  and  patriotic  organization,  and  every  church,  club 
and  school  should  hold  appropriate  exercises  in  the  observance  of 
Independence  Day.  The  logical  day  this  year  for  the  observance  of 
the  150th  anniversary  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  will  be 
either  Saturday,  July  3d,  Monday,  July  5th,  or  Friday,  July  9th,  thus 
reserving  Sunday,  July  4th,  for  special  religious  exercises.  Everywhere 
the  Declaration  should  be  read  and  its  historical  significance 
explained. 

The  military  events  of  1776  will  be  observed  most  appropriately 
on  the  sites  where  they  happened,  but  there  is  no  reason  why  the 
places  distant  from  these  spots  may  not  unite  their  observance  with 
the  150th  anniversary  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

[357] 


358  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION   IN  NEW  YORK 

In  1927  the  celebration  should  include:  (a)  the  adoption  of  the 
first  State  Constitution  at  Kingston  on  April  20th;  (b)  the  victory 
at  Oriskany  and  Fort  Stanwix  on  August  6th-22d;  (c)  the  victory 
at  Bennington  on  August  16th;  (d)  the  battles  of  Saratoga,  Septem- 
ber 19th  and  October  7th;  (e)  the  fall  of  the  forces  in  the  Highlands 
and  of  Kingston,  October  6th  to  13th;  (/)  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne 
al  Saratoga,  October  17th;  (g)  the  formation  of  the  first  State  gov- 
ernment—  election  of  the  first  Governor;  organization  of  the  first 
Legislature;  appointment  of  first  state  officers;  and  creation  of  the 
first  state  courts.  The  State  Constitution  and  the  State  Government 
embraced  the  whole  State.  Hence  all  our  citizens  should  be  inter- 
ested in  commemorating  our'  political  beginnings  as  a  free  Common- 
wealth and  should  plan  for  local  celebrations  all  over  the  State  at 
which  that  great  document  should  be  read  and  the  circumstances  under 
which  it  appeared  explained.  The  collapse  of  the  Burgoyne  project 
virtually  assured  the  triumph  of  the  Revolution.  Consequently  the 
Saratoga  celebration  should  awaken  national  as  well  as  statewide 
interest. 

While  it  seems  wise  to  stress  a  statewide  celebration  in  the  years 
1926  and  1927,  yet  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  War  for  Inde- 
pendence did  not  end  until  peace  was  ratified  in  1783.  During  the 
six  years  from  1777  to  1783  New  York  was  never  free  from  real  or 
threatened  attack.  The  Hudson  valley,  the  Mohawk  valley,  the  fron- 
tier communities  and  the  western  part  of  the  State  were  continuously 
menaced.  Every  region  of  the  Commonwealth  is  connected  in  some 
way  with  the  Revolution.  These  local  occurrences  and  traditions 
should  be  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  by  local  celebrations 
adapted  to  times  and  places  most  convenient.  While  these  community 
gatherings  will  be  centered  about  certain  happenings  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  at  the  same  time  important  incidents  in  the  settlement 
and  growth  of  the  community,  either  before  or  after  the  Revolution, 
may  furnish  the  occasion  for  the  public  gathering. 

The  deeds  of  pioneers;  the  formation  of  the  first  local  government; 
the  erection  of  the  earliest  homes,  schools,  mills  and  churches;  the 
construction  of  the  roads,  bridges  and  canals ;  and  the  planting  of 
industries  are  as  worthy  of  recognition  by  those  who  are  enjoying  the 
fruits  of  these  beginnings  as  are  the  sacrifice  and  heroism  diplayed  on 
the  field  of  war.  The  Sesquicentennial  should  be  an  endeavor  to 
understand  our  origins  and  our  growth  in  civilization  during  the  past 
3  centuries  as  well  as  a  reinterpretation  of  the  significance  of  our 
natal  day.  Hence  every  community  in  the  State  is  urged  to  participate 
in  this  period  of  special  appreciation  and  understanding. 


SUGGESTIONS    FOR    PROGRAMS  359 

Perhaps  some  practical  suggestions  for  procedure  will  be  helpful: 

1  The  most  important  thing  is  to  make  a  beginning.  Every  political 
subdivision  in  the  State  now  has  a  local  historian  authorized  and 
appointed  by  law.  Many  counties  have  county  historians  and  histori- 
cal societies.  Every  city  and  the  larger  villages  have  patriotic  socie- 
ties such  as  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution,  the  Sons  of 
the  American  Revolution,  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution,  etc.  Quite 
obviously  the  people  will  look  to  these  individuals  and  organizations 
to  take  the  initiative.  Perhaps  the  most  satisfactory  course  would  be 
to  have  them  hold  an  informal  session  at  which  a  reliable  working 
committee,  not  too  large,  might  be  appointed. 

2  This  committee  should  then  proceed  to  fix  on  the  date  and  the 
place,  to  outline  the  program  and  to  plan  the  budget.  It  should  also 
obtain  as  much  publicity  as  possible  from  the  local  press  and  perhaps 
announce  the  celebration  in  handbills  and  posters. 

3  To  avoid  criticism  and  to  obtain  as  much  cooperation  as  possible, 
the  executive  committee  should  select  an  "honorary  committee"  or 
"patrons  and  patronesses"  consisting  of  the  leading  persons  in  the 
community.  Care  should  be  taken  to  include  representatives  of  all 
social  groups,  churches,  societies,  clubs  and  parties.  This  larger  body 
may  be  asked  to  approve  arrangements,  to  help  raise  funds,  to  appoint 
subcommittees,  etc. 

4  The  selection  of  a  program  should  be  given  considerable  thought. 
So  far  as  possible  it  should  reflect  the  sentiment  and  be  adapted  to 
the  talent  of  the  community.  It  should  be  based  on  some  phase  or 
phases  of  the  history  of  the  locality.  Whatever  program  is  selected, 
an  endeavor  should  be  made  to  have  as  many  members  of  the  com- 
munity as  possible  participate  in  it.  All  things  considered,  it  is  bet- 
ter to  hold  the  exercises  out  of  doors  for  reasons  that  are  obvious, 
although  retreat  to  cover  in  case  of  inclement  weather  should  be 
provided. 

The  following  hints  may  be  of  service  to  the  committee  in  deciding 
upon  a  program: 

(a)  Literary  and  musical  exercises.  These  would  consist  of  appro- 
priate historic  and  patriotic  readings,  recitations  and  sources;  and 
music  by  individuals  and  groups.  This  program,  as  a  rule,  is  one 
of  the  easiest  to  arrange. 

(b)  Addresses  and  music.  This  is  a  dignified  and  appropriate  cere- 
mony. The  speakers  may  be  either  local  persons  or  those  from  out- 
side the  community,  or  both  may  be  engaged.  Care  should  be  taken, 
however,  to  have  the  addresses,  fit  in  with  the  purposes  of  the  celebra- 
tion.    A  brass  band  seems  appropriate  to  such  occasions,  but  vocal 


360  THE   AMERICAN   REVOLUTION   IN   NEW   YORK 

soloists,    chorus   music    or   congregational    singing   of   national    songs 
will  do, 

(c)  A  play  and  music.  To  be  most  effective,  the  play  should  be 
based  so  far  as  possible  on  local  traditions.  The  music  may  consist  of 
anything  available. 

(d)  A  parade  and  fireworks.  This  program  has  the  merit  of  includ- 
ing and  delighting  everybody,  but  usually  presents  little  of  educa- 
tional value.  The  parade,  however,  may  be  organized  so  as  to  show 
the  history  of  the  community. 

(e)  A  pageant.  Nothing  will  arouse  more  interest  than  this,  and  it 
has  the  further  advantage  of  using  large  numbers  of  all  ages  from  the 
community.  The  theme  should  be  based  on  the  most  interesting  phase, 
or  phases,  of  local  history.  It  might  depict  the  Indian  period;  the 
early  traders,  trappers  and  missionaries;  the  coming  of  the  first  set- 
tlers; and  the  heroic  and  tragic  incidents  and  traditions  of  the  region. 
Usually  local  talent  may  be  found  both  to  write  the  text  of  the  pageant 
and  to  stage  it.  The  important  thing  is  to  start  early  because  a  pageant 
well  done  involves  some  expense  and  much  time  "and  labor  in  prepar- 
ing the  costumes  and  for  rehearsals. 

(/)  Moving  picture.  A  number  of  excellent  films  on  American  his- 
tory are  available.  One  might  be  selected  that  would  harmonize  with 
the  celebration.  This  has  the  advantage  of  involving  little  labor  and 
worry. 

(g)  A  historical  exhibition.  The  purpose  would  be  to  have  articles 
of  dress,  household  goods  and  furniture,  farm  implements,  wagons, 
buggies,  saddles,  harnesses,  old  books  and  newspapers,  letters  and 
diaries,  church  records,  town  records,  machinery,  souvenirs  etc., 
arranged  in  some  chronological  order  and  shown  to  the  public.  It  is 
quite  remarkable  how  much  local  enthusiasm  may  be  generated  by  this 
exposition.  It  performs  the  further  service  of  awakening  a  deeper 
interest  in  these  sources  of  the  past. 

{h)  Games  and  contests.  Various  kinds  may  be  appropriately  asso- 
ciated with  the  local  celebration. 

(i)  A  historical  pilgrimage.  A  tour  may  be  arranged  to  the  build- 
ings and  sites  of  particular  interest,  such  as  the  oldest  settlements,  the 
earliest  churches,  schools,  mills,  roads,  bridges,  railroads  and  canals; 
the  cemeteries;  the  homes  of  eminent  men  and  women;  and  the  site  of 
some  worthy  deed.  This  tour  should  be  conducted  by  persons  who 
could  explain  the  significance  of  each  place  or  object  visited.  It  would 
go  far  toward  arousing  a  more  intelligent  interest  in  the  history  of  the 
locality. 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  PROGRAMS  361 

(/')  A  history  boll  or  party.  The  purpose  would  be  to  have  the 
present  members  of  the  community  represent  in  dress  and  deportment 
the  historic  periods  of  the  locality.  With  some  planning  and  guidance 
such  an  affair  would  be  effective  and  of  considerable  educational 
value.  Of  course  it  should  include  everybody,  young  and  old,  and  so 
far  as  possible  actual  ancestral  garments  and  articles  of  adornment 
should  be  worn. 

(k)  Erection  of  a  Liberty  Pole.  During  the  Revolution,  and  for 
many  years  following  it,  the  patriots  expressed  their  sentiments  in  the 
erection  of  a  Liberty  Pole.  This  practice  might  well  be  revived  to 
commemorate  the  150th  anniversary  of  the  Revolution  by  raising  a 
staff  that  will  serve  as  a  flag  pole.  Appropriate  speeches  and  music 
should  accompany  the  event. 

(/)  Markers  and  monuments.  Every  locality  should  make  an  effort 
during  the  Sesquicentennial  to  have  its  historic  sites  and  buildings 
marked  in  some  way.  These  markings  need  not  be  expensive.  A  plain 
board  painted  white  and  lettered  in  black  is  very  effective.  The  homes 
of  the  pioneers,  the  earliest  schools,  churches,  mills,  stores,  roads, 
bridges  etc.,  should  all  be  marked.  Signboards  should  also  be  placed 
on  the  highways  indicating  where  these  historic  places  are  located. 
More  enduring  monuments  may  be  erected  to  commemorate  the  first 
group  of  pioneers,  or  local  heroes,  or  important  historic  events. 

(m)  Publication  of  local  records.  One  of  the  worth,  while  and  prac- 
tical methods  of  observing  the  Revolutionary  anniversaries  would  be  to 
have  the  local  records  —  political,  school,  church  arid  business  ■ —  of 
the  origin  and  development  of  the  locality  printed  for  general  use.  In 
most  cases  the  expense  would  not  be  great  and  might  be  met  either 
from  public  funds  or  private  subscriptions.  No  doubt  the  local  press 
would  gladly  cooperate. 

(n)  Preservation  of  historic  buildings.  Nearly  every  locality  has 
some  structure  which  in  a  special  way  tells  the  story  of  the  past  and 
therefore  should  be  preserved.  This  is  an  excellent  time  to  place  that 
building  under  public  care.  Perhaps  some  patriotic  society  may  wish 
to  use  it  as  a  home,  or  possibly  it  would  make  an  excellent  public 
library  or  local  museum.  The  transfer  of  such  historic  building  to 
public  use  might  be  attended  by  fitting  exercises. 

(5)  Remember  that  it  is  necessary  to  formulate  plans  early,  to 
secure  the  cooperation  and  interest  of  the  whole  community,  and  to 
make  the  celebration  educationally  worth  while. 


362  THE   AMERICAN   REVOLUTION   IN   NEW  YORK 

In  1926  the  State  of  New  York  appropriated  about  $350,000  for 
the  following  historical  projects: 

1  The  publication  of  The  American  Revolution  in  New  York  in  a 
popular  edition 

2  The  observance  at  White  Plains  on  July  9,  1926,  of  the  150th 
anniversary  of  New  York's  adoption  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence 

3  The  recognition  during  the  fall  of  1926  of  the  anniversaries  of  the 
Revolutionary  military  engagements  in  and  about  New  York  City 

4  The  celebration  at  Kingston,  in  1927,  of  the  sesquicentennial  of 
the  adoption  of  the  first  State  Constitution  and  the  subsequent  organi- 
zation of  the  first  State  Government  under  it. 

5  The  participation  of  the  Empire  State  in  the  Philadelphia  Sesqui- 
centennial in  1926 

6  The  purchase  and  restoration  as  historical  parks  of  the  battle- 
fields of  Oriskany,  Bennington  and  Saratoga  so  that  appropriate 
exercises  may  be  held  there  in  1927 

7  The  erection  of  historical  markers  over  the  State,  in  cooperation 
with  interested  localities,  in  commemoration  of  colonial,  Revolution- 
ary and  early  State  history. 

8  The  celebration  of  the  centenary  of  the  Erie  Canal. 


INDEX 


Adams,  John,  on  committee  to  draft 
a  Declaration  of  Independence,  67; 
opinion  on  state  taxes,  124;  urged 
Washington  to  punish  traitors,  215 

Adams,  Samuel,  32,  63 

Agriculture   after   the   Revolution,   240 

Albany,   charter  continued,   101 

Albany,  Common  Council,  minutes  end 
on  March  25,  1776,  35;  replaced  by 
Revolutionary  committee,  77 

Albany  County  Committee  of  Corre- 
spondence, minutes,  29;  ratification  of 
Declaration  of  Independence,  71-72; 
replaces  Common  Council,  77 

Albany,  Sons  of  Liberty,  constitution, 
307-8 

Allen,  Ethan,  131 

Alsop,  John,  delegate  to  Continental 
Congress,  34,  47;  quoted,  72;  to  ob- 
tain  supplies  for  troops,   183 

American  Revolution,  causes,  9-26; 
results  of,  227-50 

Andrustown,  burned,  169 

Anniversary  observances,  suggestions, 
357-62 

Aristocracy,  hatred  of  patriots  for,  238 

Arms  and  ammunition,  equipment  of 
troops,    186,    191 ;    manufacture,    190 

Arnold,  Benedict,  general,  capture  of 
Ticonderoga,  131 ;  naval  attacks  by, 
145;  attack  on  Quebec,  147; 
wounded,  149;  treason,  171;  men- 
tioned, 159,  163 

Articles  of  Confederation,  New  York 
ratifies,  97,  345-46 

Asia   (warship),  41,  53 

Assembl*y,  Colonial  prorogued,  24; 
newly  elected,  votes  supplies  for 
British  troops,  24;  last  session,  47, 
77;  resolutions,  1768,  309 

Assembly  under  the  first  Constitution, 
87,  89 

Attorney  'General,  90,  96 

Auditor  General,  90,  96 

Baldwin,  Jeduthan,  colonel,   137 
Bancker,  Gerard,  96,  106,  110 
Bank  of  North  America,  102 


Battlefields,  New  York  on,  129-78 
Bennington,   161 
Burgoyne's  campaign,  159-65 
Canadian  expeditions,   131,  134,  147, 

149 
Crown   Point,   131 
Fort    Stanwix,   157,   159 
Fort  Washington,  155 
Golden  Hill,  25,  129,  311 
Harlem  Heights,  134,  153 
Jerseyfield,   173 
Johnstown,  173 
Long  Island,  134,  153 
Oriskany,    157 
St  Johns,   131,  145 
Saratoga,   165,   167 
Ticonderoga,  131,   159 
Valcour  Island,  149 
White  Plains,  155 

Baum,  Friedrich,  colonel,  161 

Bauman,   Sebastian,  captain,  137 

Bennington,  161 

Benson,  Egbert,  91,  96,  219 

Bibliography  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion in  New  York,  287-304 

Bills  of  credit,  112,  116,  126 

Boerum  Simon,  47 

Boston,  port  bill,  34;   blockade,  35 

Boston  tea  party,  33 

Brant,  Joseph,  157,  167 

Breyman,  Heinrich  Christoph,  lieuten- 
ant colonel,  161,   163 

British  troops,  failure  of  Assembly  to 
appropriate  funds  for  care  of,  23 

Brodhead,  Daniel,  colonel,  169 

Broome,  John,  colonel,  79,  83 

Brown,  John,   colonel,   172 

Burgoyne,  John,  general,  route  of 
march,  155;  campaign,  159-65;  proc- 
lamation, 339-40;  a  patriot's  bur- 
lesque on,  341-42 

Burr,  Aaron,  153 

Butler,  John,  colonel,  joined  by  St 
Leger,  155;  hostile  activities,  167, 
217;   raids,  149 

Butler,  Walter,  hostile  activities,  149, 
167,  173,  217;   death,  173 

Butler's   Rangers,   167 


[363] 


364 


INDEX 


Camp  equipment,  182-90 

Canadian  expeditions,  131,  134,  147, 
149 

Canajoharie,    burned,    171 

Cantine,  Peter,  jr.,  219 

Carleton,  Sir  Guy,  general,  attempt  to 
recover  Crown  Point,  147,  155;  fleet 
on  Lake  Champlain,  149;  raid  on 
upper  Hudson,  151,  171;  meeting  with 
Washington  to  plan  evacuation,  175 

Charters,  declared  null  and  void  after 
Oct.  14,  1775,  81 

Cherry  Valley  massacre,  169 

Chronology  of  New  York  in  the  Revo- 
lution, 251-70 

Church  and  State,  adoption  of  the  prin- 
ciple of  separation  of,  242 

Churches,  reorganization  after  the  Revo- 
lution,  242 

Claus,  Daniel,  217 

Clinton.  George,  governor,  delegate  to 
second  Continental  Congress,  49; 
urged  wisdom  of  separation,  65; 
tradition  that  he  voted  for  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence,  68;  mem- 
ber of  Convention  of  1776,  81;  candi- 
date for  governor,  93;  elected  gov- 
ernor, 94;  speech  at  opening  of  first 
Legislature,  95;  member  ol  Council 
of  Appointment,  95;  in  office  IB 
years,  96;  remarks  on  depreciated 
currency,  123;  quoted,  237;  elected 
vice-president  of  New  York  State 
Society  of  Cincinnati,  239;  address  to 
Legislature,  1782,  245;  proclamation 
of  election,  343;  defends  the  patriot- 
ism of  New  York,  353-55 

Clinton,  Sir  Henry,  mentioned,  165;  ex- 
pedition up  the  Hudson,  167 ;  dis- 
manteled  the  fortresses,  167 

Clinton,  James,  brigadier  general,  mem^ 
ber  of  Convention  of  1776,  81;  third 
(Ulster)  regiment  of  the  Line,  133; 
second  regiment,  134;  brigadier  gen- 
eral, 134-36;  in  charge  of  all  the 
levies,  143;  in  charge  of  New  York 
wing  of  army,  169;  march  into  New 
York  City,  175;  mentioned,  151 

Clinton  College,  247 


Coat  of  arms  adopted,  99 

Cobleskill,  burned,  169 

Colden,  Cadwallader,  governor,  and  the 
Stamp  Act,  14,  16,  17,  18,  23;  said 
duties  would  be  removed,  31 ;  quoted, 
38,  39;  warned  to  prevent  landing  of 
British  soldiers  in  New  York,  41 

Colleges,  effects  of  Revolution  on,  244 

Colonial  Assembly,  see  Assembly, 
colonial 

Colonial  Council,  47 

Colonial  government  dissolved,  63 

Columbia  college,  248,  249 

Columbian  Order,  239 

Commissaries,   appointment,   179 

Commissioner  for  Detecting  and  De- 
feating Conspiracies,  minutes,  29; 
law,  344-45 

Committee  and  First  Commission  for 
Detecting  and  Defeating  Conspira- 
cies, 31,  44,  218,  219 

Committee  of  thirteen,  1774,  33 

Committeemen,  names  deserve  to  be 
placed  on  roll  of  honor,  29 

Committees,  rise  of  Revolutionary  com- 
mittee system,  27-46;  elections,  54; 
creation  of,  during  transition  from 
colonial  to  state  government,  77. 
See  also  County  and  local  committee 

Committees,  New  York  City,  see  New 
York   City 

Committees  of  Safety,  34,  53,  54,  59, 
77,  83 

Congress,  see  Continental  Congress; 
Provincial   Congress 

Conspiracies,  see  Commissioners  for 
Detecting  and  Defeating  Conspira- 
cies, Committee  and  First  Commis- 
sion 

Constitution,  colonial,  description  by 
'Governor  Tryon,  228 

Constitution  of  1777,  77,  228,  326-38 

Continental  Congress,  first,  origin,  34; 
New  York  delegates,  47;  calling  o^ 
a  subject  for  party  strife,  205;  New 
York  committee  suggests  a  "General 
Congress,"  313^14 

Continental  Congress,  second,  delegates, 
49 


INDEX 


365 


Continental  Line,   133-37 

Convention,  of  1775,  47,  49,  208;  of 
1776,  81;  of  1777,  97.  See  also  Pro- 
vincial Congress 

Cooper,  Dr  Myles,  41,  241,  248 

Cornwallis,  Charles,  earl.  151 ;  sur- 
render, 173 

Council,  Colonial,  47 

Council  for  the  Southern  District,  100-1 

Council  of  Appointment.  85,  95 

Council  of  Safety,  77,  92,  94,  97 

Council  of  Revision,  85,  87 

Counterfeiting  paper  money,  123 

County  and  local  committees,  29,  35, 
37,  96;  issue  of  paper  money  by,  116 

County   sheriffs  and  coroners,  90 

Court   of  Errors   and  Impeachment,   90 

Courts,  81,  90 

Criminal  law,  101 

Crown  Point,  131 

Cumberland  county  committee,  35 

Currie,  David,  181 

Currietown,  attacked,  172 

Curtenius,  Peter  T.,  state  auditor,  96; 
appointed  commissary,  179;  to  obtain 
supplies  for  troops,  183,  186,  187, 
189,  190 

Cuyler,  Jacob,  79 

Debt,  imprisonment  for,  236 

Debtor  and  creditor  classes  after  the 
Revolution,  240 

Declaration  of  Independence,  commit- 
tee of  Continental  Congress  ap- 
pointed to  draft,  67;  adopted,  68; 
signers  from  New  York,  72;  gave 
finality  to  position  of  the  Loyalists, 
207;  New  York  ratifies,  59-75,  322- 
26.     See  also  Independence 

Declaration  of  rights  and  grievances, 
305-6 

De  Lancey,  James,  217,  223 

De  Lancey,  Oliver,  brigadier  general, 
218 

Depreciation  of  continental  money, 
121,  122 

De  Witt,  Charles,  colonel,  83,  218 

Digby,  Robert,  admiral,   175 

Documents  illustrating  the  Revolution, 
305-55 

Douw,  Volkert  P.,  49 


Duane,  James,  delegate  to  Continental 
Congress,  34,  47;  urged  wisdom  of 
separation,  65;  member  of  Conven- 
tion of  1776,  81;  quoted,  112;  on 
committee  to  prevent  depreciation  of 
currency,  122;  Episcopalian,  241 

Duboys,  Lewis,  colonel,  134,   136,   143 

Duchess  of  Gordon    (warship),  56 

Duer,  William,  83,  218 

Dunning,  William,  127 

Economic  results  of  the  Revolution,  239 
Educational      institutions,      eflfects      of 

Revolution  on,  244 
Elections,  first  under  new  Constitution, 

93;  regulation,  99 
Elections  of  committees,  54 
Episcopal  Church,  established,  243 

Finances,  action  on  by  Provincial 
Congress,  51;  financing  the  Revolu- 
tion, 105-27;  after  the  Revolution, 
239 

Firearms,  manufacture  within  the 
colony,  190 

Flag,  stars  and  stripes,  first  unfurled 
in  face  of  the  enemy,  157 

Floyd,  William,  47,  72 

Food  supply  for  soldiers,  193-99 

Fort  Clinton,  136,  167 

Fort   Constitution,  167 

Fort  George,  17,  53,  132,  133;  destroyed, 
149 

Fort  Montgomery,  136,  167 

Fort  Schuyler,   159 

Fort  Stanwix,  157,  159 

Fort  Washington,  153,  155 

Franchise,  elective,  73,  83,  85,  91,  224 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  19,  41,  67 

Fraser,  Simon,  general,  161 

Friends  of  Liberty,  23 

Gage,  Thomas,  general,  24 
Gansevoort,  Leonard,  213,  215,  218 
Gansevoort,    Peter,    colonel,    134,    135, 

136,  157 
Gates,  Horatio,  general,  at  fault  in  not 
fortifying  Mount  Defiance,  161; 
supersedes  General  Schuyler,  163; 
declined  appointment  to  head  expedi- 
tion against  Indians,  169 


366 


INDEX 


Gazette,  Rivington's,  54 

General  assembly,  see  Assembly 

General  Association,  34,  38,  49,  51, 
206,  317;  Provincial  Congress  orders 
all  persons  to  sign,  317-18 

George  III,  statue,  21,  70 

Germain,  George,  Lord,  167 

German  Flats,  laid  waste,  169 

Golden  Hill,  25,  129,  311 

Gospel  and  school  lots,  248 

Governor,  powers  under  first  Constitu- 
tion, 89;  vote  for,  1777,  93;  proclama- 
tion of  election  of  first,  343 

Graham,  Lewis,  213,  215 

Greene,  Nathanael,  general,  153,  155 

Hale,  Nathan,  arrested  as  spy,  155 

Hallett,  Joseph,   213 

Hamilton,  Alexander,  urged  wisdom  of 
separation,  65;  appointed  receiver  of 
taxes,  114;  lieutenant  colonel,  bat- 
talion under,  135;  commissioned  cap- 
tain of  artillery,  137 ;  Episcopalian, 
241 

Hancock,  John,  a  signer,  69;  letter 
from  inclosing  the  Declaration,  70, 
72;  remarks  on  depreciated  money, 
122;  urged  New  York  to  attain  all 
traitors,  215 

Haring  (Herring),  John,  delegate  to 
Continental  Congress,  i7;  on  com- 
mittee to  report  on  a  state  govern- 
ment, 79;  member  of  committee  on 
Loyalists,  212,  213 

Harlem  Heights,  134,  153 

Harper,  John,  lieutenant  colonel,  143 

Harpersfield,  destroyed,   171 

Hazard,  Ebenezer,  53 

Hazen,  Moses,  colonel,  137 

Hay,  Udny,  colonel,  181 

Henry,  Patrick,  63 

Herkimer,  Nicholas,  general,  35,  157, 
159 

Hobart,  John  Sloss,  member  of  Con- 
vention of  1776,  81;  on  committee  to 
report  a  bill  of  rights,  81 ;  on  com- 
mittee to  report  a  plan  for  organizing 
the  government,  85;  elected  associate 
judge,  91 ;  delegate  to  conference  on 
depreciated  money,  122;  member  of 
committee  on  Loyalists,  213,  215 

Holmes,  James,  colonel,  133 


Horses,  purchase,  193 

Howe,  Richard,  viscount,  admiral,  149, 

153,  155 
Howe,   Sir   William,   general, .  149,   151, 

155 

Independence,  New  York  virtually  de- 
clares, 319;  letter  of  New  York 
delegates  on,  320-21.  See  also 
Declaration  of  Independence 

Indians,  sales  of  land  after  Oct.  14, 
1775  invalid,  81;  raids,  157,  167-73; 
side,  generally,  with  British,  167 

Inglis,  Rev.  Charles,  241 

Jay,  John,  delegate  to  Continental 
Congress,  34,  47;  disapproved  of  raid 
on  printing  press,  54;  quoted,  61,  68, 
83,  92;  urged  wisdom  of  separation, 
65;  motion  by,  67;  on  committee  to 
report  on  a  state  government,  79, 
85;  member  of  Convention  of  1776, 
81 ;  on  committee  to  report  a  bill  of 
rights,  81 ;  draft  of  Constitution,  83, 
85;  elected  chief  justice,  91;  favored 
abolishment  of  slavery,  92;  candidate 
for  governor,  93 ;  on  committee  to 
prevent  depreciation  of  currency, 
122;  chairman  of  committes  on 
revolutionary  money,  123;  on  levy  of 
light  taxes,  124;  urged  to  exert  him- 
self on  taxation,  124;  member  of 
committee  on  Loyalists,  212,  213; 
appeal  to  authorities  to  end  rioting," 
216;  on  committee  for  detecting  and 
defeating  conspiracies,  218;  proposed 
sale  and  confiscation  of  Loyalists' 
estates,  221;  Episcopalian,  241 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  67 

Jerseyfield,  173 

Johnson,  Lady,  211 

Johnson,  Guy,  51,  149,  167,  208-10 

Johnson,  Sir  John,  conflict  with  patriots 
at  Fonda,  129;  raids  by,  149;  joined 
by  St  Leger,  155;  retreat  to  Oswego, 
159;  hostile  activities,  167;  released 
on  parole,  211 

Johnson,  Sir  William,  18,  129,  173 

Johnstown,  173 

Judiciary,   under  first   Constitution,   90 

Kings  college,  44,  102,  244,  248 

Kirkland,  Samuel,  210 

Knox,  Henry,  general,  133,  175 


INDEX 


367 


Lafayette,  Marquis  de,  136 

Lamb,  John,  leader  of  Sons  of  Liberty, 
21,  63;  presided  over  mass  meeting, 
24;  colonel,  second  New  York  artil- 
lery, 134,  135,  137 

Land  holding,  102 

Lasher,  John,  181 

Lee,  Charles,   general,  149,  215 

Lee,  Henry,  lieutenant  colonel,  137 

Lee,  James,  155 

Legislature,  under  the  first  Constitu- 
tion, 87;  election.  94;  first  meeting, 
94;  sat  annually,  1777-1783,  98 

Levies,  133,  141-43 

Lewis,  Francis,  delegate  to  second  Con- 
tinental Congress,  49;  a  signer,  72; 
on  committee  to  report  on  a  state 
government,  79;  member  of  Conven- 
tion of  1776,81 

Liberty  Boys,  see  Sons  of  Liberty 

Liberty  Poles,  21,  23,  24,  25,  129 

Lieutenant  Governor,  under  the  Consti- 
tution, 90 

Lincoln,  Benjamin,  general,  135 

Liquor  sellers,  in  New  York,  106 

Liquors,   duties  on,  126 

Little  Falls,  attacked,  171 

Livingston,  Abraham,  181 

Livingston,  H.   B.,  colonel,  134,  136 

Livingston,  James,  colonel,  137 

Livingston,  Peter  R.,  colonel,  85,  200 

Livingston,  Peter  Van  Brugh,  elected 
president  of  Provincial  Congress,  49; 
treasurer,  96,  106,  110,  113 

Livingston,  Philip,  delegate  to  Conti- 
nental Congress,  34,  47;  president  of 
Provincial  Convention,  49;  a  signer, 
72;  letter  to  Abraham  Yates,  74; 
member  of  Convention  of  1776,  81 ; 
candidate  for  governor,  93;  member 
of  committee  on  Loyalists,  213 

Livingston,  Robert  R.,  delegate  to 
second  Continental  Congress,  49; 
urged  wisdom  of  separation,  65; 
member  of  committee  to  draft  a 
Declaration  of  Independence,  67; 
member  of  Convention  of  1776,  81; 
on  committee  to  report  a  bill  of 
rights,  83;  on  committee  to  report  a 
plan   for  organizing  the   government. 


85;  collaborated  with  John  Jay  on 
Constitution,  85;  responsible  for  pro- 
posing Council  of  Revision,  87; 
elected  chancellor,  91 ;  candidate  for 
governor,  93 

Livingston,  William,  14 

Loan  offices,  118,  121 

Local  committees,  see  County  and  local 
committees 

Lockett,  Nathaniel,  218 

Long  Island,  134,  153 

Lott,  Abraham,  colonial  treasurer,  108 
113 

Lotteries,  248 

Low,  Isaac,  36,  47,  318 

Loyalists.  28,  29,  35,  38,  49,  51,  53,  59, 
73,  97,  99,  102,  149,  159,  171,  172, 
203-25;  act  for  forfeiture  and  sale 
of  property,  348-53 

McCrea,  Jane,  murder,  161 

McDonald,  Alexander,  210 

McDonald,  Angus,  210 

McDougall,  Alexander,  brigadier  gen- 
eral, leader  of  Sons  of  Liberty,  21, 
63;  arrested  for  attack  on  Assembly, 
23,  24;  member  of  Convention  of 
1776,  81;  colonel  first  (New  York) 
regiment,  133,  134;  made  brigadier 
general,  134;  at  siege  of  St  Johns, 
147;  to  furnish  powder,  191;  elected 
president  of  New  York  State  Society 
of  Cincinnati,  239 

McKean,  Robert,  captain,  172 

McKesson,  John,  49 

McKinstry,  John,  lieutenant  colonel, 
143 

Mail  routes,  200 

Mechanics  of  New  York  City,  action  by, 
65 

Mifflin,  Thomas,  general,  216 

Military  officers,  90 

Military  service,  four  groups,  133 

Military  supplies,  179-202 

Militia,  133,  137-41 

Minisink,  attacked,  169 

Minutemen,  133,   140,  141 

Mohawk  valley,  devastated,  171 

"Mohawks,  The,"  33 

Monarchy,  hatred  of  patriots  for,  238 


568 


INDEX 


Montgomery,  Richard,  brigadier  gen- 
eral, 134,  147,  149 

Monuments  of  the  Revolutionary  war, 
271-86 

Moore,  Governor,  18,  19,  21,  23,  24 

Moore,  Rev.  Benjamin,  248 

Morgan,  Daniel,  colonel,  149,  163 

Morris,  Gouverneur,  urged  wisdom  of 
separation,  65;  argument  for  erecting 
new  state  government,  79;  member 
of  Convention  of  1776,  81;  on  com- 
mittee to  report  a  bill  of  rights,  83 ; 
on  committee  'to  report  a  plan  for 
organizing  the  government,  85;  col- 
laborated with  John  Jay  on  Consti- 
tution, 85;  system  to  finance  Revolu- 
tion formulated  by,  112;  report  on 
money  lent  by  Congress,  114;  on 
committee  to  prevent  depreciation  of 
currency,  122;  delegate  to  conference 
on  depreciated  money,  122;  on  taxa- 
tion, 124;  member  of  committee  on 
Loyalists,  212,  213,  215 ;  Episcopalian, 
241 

Morris,  Lewis,  general,  delegate  to 
second  Continental  Congress,  49;  a 
signer,  72;  letter  to  Judge  Wynkoop, 
75;   to  call  out  his  brigade,  143 

Morris,  Robert,   114,  120 

Moylan,  Stephen,  colonel,  137 

Murray,  Mrs  Lindley,   153 

Nancy  (ship),  33  , 

Navigation  laws,  11,  27 

Navy  of  the  Revolution,  131,  133, 
143-45 

New  York  (city).  Committee  of  51, 
34,  37,  39;  Committee  of  60,  37,  38, 
39,  47,  49;  Committee  of  100,  38, 
39;  reduced  to  a  Committee  of  50 
44;  post  master,  53;  British  occupa- 
tion, 100,  153;   in  1783,  237 

New  York  (state),  began  its  existence 
as  a  free  state,  81 ;  two  civil  govern- 
ments from  1776-1783,  100;  on  the 
battlefield,  129-78:  virtually  declares 
independence,  319 

New  York  brigade,  135 

New  York  Line,  133-37 


New  York  Sons  of  Liberty,  draft  of  Con- 
stitution, 310-11 
New  York  tea  party,  32,  33,  312-13 
Nicholson,  John,  colonel,  134 
Nonimportation   agreement,   25,  31,  32, 

37 
Norwood,   Richard,   179 

Oriskany,   157 

Paine,  Thomas,  Common  Sense,  56,  65 

Palatine  district,  Tryon  county,  organ- 
izes a  revolutionary  committee,  34, 
314^15 

Paper  currency,  111,  113,  116;  counter- 
feiting and  defacing,  123 

Pawling,  Albert,  lieutenant  colonel,  143 

Pitt,  William,  statue,  21 

Piatt,  Zephaniah,  218 

Poor  relief,  35,  235-36 

Postal  service,  200 

Powder  supply,  191 

Prisoners  of  war,  202 

Privateers,  145,  147 

Profiteering,  125,  196 

Programs  of  150;h  anniversary,  sug- 
gestions, 357-62 

Provincial   committees,  see   Committees 

Provincial  Congress,  47-58;  appointed 
a  standing  committee  of  correspond- 
ence, 34;  declared  its  independence, 
63 ;  reply  to  committee  of  mechanics, 
65;  appointed  a  committee  on  plan 
to  frame  a  government,  79;  conven- 
tion of  1776,  81;  convention  of  1777, 
97;  called  by  the  New  York  City 
committee,  316;  orders  all  persons  to 
sign  the  General  Association,  317-18; 
assumes  power  of  taxation,  318; 
letter  of  New  York  delegates  on  in- 
dependence, 320-21;  referred  to,  29, 
61,  206 

Provisions,  for  soldiers,   193—99 

Public  records,  54,  56 

Putnam,  Israel;  general  at  battle  of 
Long  Island,  151;  command  of  Fort 
Washington,  153 ;  sent  to  New  Jersey, 
155 ;  reinforcements,  163 ;  report  on 
Tory  prisoners,  214;  appeal  to  author- 
ities to  end  rioting,  216 


INDEX 


369 


Quakers,  54,  92,  139,  242 
Queens  county.  Loyalists,  212 
Quitrents,    appropriated    by    tlie    State, 
81 

Randall,  Thomas,  213,  215 
Refugees,  201 
Regents  system,  248 
Religious  side  of  the  Revolution,  241 
Remsen,  Henry,   127;   member  of  com- 
mittee  on  Loyalists,  212,  213,  215 
Remsen,  Jeremiah,  79 
Resolutions     of     New     York     General 

Assembly,  309 
Revolution,  see  American  Revolution 
Revolutionary  committee,  Albany,  77 
Revolutionary    government    by   commit- 
tees,    conventions,     congresses     and 
councils,  97,  103 
Richmond  county.  Loyalists,  212 
Riedesel,  Baron,  159,  161 
Riemensnyder's  Bush,  burned,  171 
Ritzema,  Rudolph,  colonel,  134 
Rivingston's  printing  press  raided,  54 
Rogers,  William,  captain,  147 
Ross,  John,  major,  173 
Royal  Greens,  167 

St    Clair,  Arthur,  general,  159,  161 

St  Johns,  131,  145 

St     Leger,    Barry,    lieutenant    colonel, 

155,  159 
Salem   committee,   activities  in  dealing 

with  Tories,  214 
Salt  supply,  199 
Saltpeter,  191 
Sammons,  Jacob,  129 
Sands,  Comfort,  96,  127 
Saratoga,   165,   167 
Schenectady         committee,         minutes, 

printed    by    State,   29;    urged    people 

to   sign   Association,   34;    nonassocia- 

tors  boycotted,  35;  operating  in  1779, 

44 
Schoharie  valley,  raided,  171 
Schools,   effects   of   Revolution   on,  244 
Schuyler,  John,  129 
Schuyler,  Peter,  mayor,  129 
Schuyler,    Philip,    general,    delegate    to 

second     Continental     Congress,     49; 

urged     wisdom     of     separation,     65; 


member  of  Convention  of  1776,  81; 
candidate  for  Governor,  93;  ap- 
pointed surveyor  general,  96;  pledge 
to  raise  money  for  Canadian  expedi- 
tion, 114;  on  securing  the  Hudson 
River,  133;  appointed  major  general, 
134;  regiments  under,  134;  illness, 
147;  blamed  for  fall  of  Ticonderoga, 
161 ;  delayed  Burgoyne's  advance, 
161 ;  superseded  by  General  Gates, 
163;  report  on  lack  of  supplies,  185; 
to  seize  arms  and  stores  of  Tories  in 
Tryon  county,  211 

Scott,  John  Morin,  brigadier  general, 
leader  of  popular  party,  14;  advo- 
cated independence,  16;  leader  of 
Sons  of  Liberty,  63;  on  committee  to 
report  on  a  state  government,  79 
member  of  Convention  of  1776,  81 
leader  of  majority  in  Convention,  83 
on  committee  to  formulate  the  Con- 
stitution, 83;  on  committee  to  report 
a  bill  of  rights,  83;  on  committee  to 
report  a  plan  for  organizing  the 
government,  85;  refused  office  of 
associate  judge,  91 ;  chairman 
Council  of  Safety,  92;  candidate  for 
governor,  93;  member  of  Council  of 
Appointment,  95;  appointed  Secre- 
tary of  State,  96;  militia  under,  141; 
member  of  committee  on  Loyalists, 
212 

Seabury,  Rev.  Samuel,  241 

^eal  of  New  York,  95,  99 

Sears,  Isaac,  chairman  of  committee  of 
correspondence,  16;  leader  of  Sons 
of  Liberty,  21,  63;  wounded,  23; 
finds  hostile  placards  posted,  25; 
elected  to  Congress,  34;  accused  of 
aiding  printing  press  raid,  54,  56 

Secretary  of  State,  90,  96 

Senate,  under  the  first  Constitution,  87 

Sheldon,  Elisha,  colonel,  137 

Sherman,  Roger,  67 

Shoes  and  stockings  for  troops,  187; 
act  to  procure,  346-48 

Shrines  of  the  Revolutionary  War, 
271-86 

Signers  of  Declaration  of  Independence 
from  New  York,  72 


370 


INDEX 


Slavery,   not   abolished,   92;    conditions 

after  the  Revolution,  237 
Smallpox,  prevention,  51,  200 
Smith,  Melancton,  219 
Smith,  William,  14,  81 
Social  results  of  the  Revolution,  233 
Society  of  Cincinnati,  238,  239 
Soldiers,      equipping     and      supplying, 

179-202;  uniforms,  182;  clothing  for, 

182-90;  food  supply,  193-99 
Soldiers  from  New  York,  175,  177 
Sons  of  Liberty,  15,  18,  21,  24,  31,  33, 

34,  38,  63,  129,  203,  239 
Sons   of   Liberty,   Albany,   constitution, 

307-8 
Sons   of   Liberty,   New   York,    draft    of 

constitution,  310-11 
Sons  of  Saint  Tammany,  239 
Spencer,  Oliver,  colonel,  137 
Springfield,  burned,  169 
Stage  coaches,  200 
Stamp  Act,  14-25,  27;  repeal,  21 
Stamp    Act     Congress,    declaration    of 

rights  and  grievances,  305-6 
Stark,  John,  general,  163 
State  agent,  181 
State  boundaries,  101 
Stirling,  William  Alexander,  Lord,  gen- 
eral, 151 
Stockings   for   New   York   troops,   187; 

act  to  procure,  346-48 
Stone  Arabia,  172 
Stony  Point,  169 
Strategic  importance  of  New  York,  129, 

177 
Strong,  Joseph,  219 
Sugar  Act  of  1764,  13,  27 
Sullivan,  John,  general,   151,  153,  169 
Surveyor  General,  90,  96 
Swartwout,  Jacobus,  219 

Tablets    of    the     Revolutionary    War, 

271-86 
Tammany  Hall,  239 
Taxes,    31,    106,    114,    115,    120,    123, 

124-26;    after    the    Revolution,    239; 

Provincial    Congress    assumes    power 

of  taxation,  320 
Tea  party,  Boston,  33 


Tea  party.  New  York,  32,  33;  public 
invited  to,  312;  contemporary  account 
of,  312-13 

Ten  Broeck,  Dirck,  118 

Ten  Broeck,  John,  213 

Thibou,  Lewis,  63 

Ticonderoga,   131,  159 

Tories,  73,  171,  172,  203.  See  also 
Loyalists 

Townshend,  Samuel,  83 

Townshend  acts,  31 

Trade  and  commerce  after  the  Revolu- 
tion, 240 

Treason,  penalty,  81 

Treasurer,  Colonial,  108 

Treasurer,  State,  90,  96,  106,  110,  113 

Treasurers  of  the  United  Colonies,  112 

Tredwell,  Thomas,  213 

Troops,  equipping  and  supplying, 
179-202;  clothing  for,  182-90;  food 
supply,   193-99 

Tryon,  William,  governor,  attitude  re- 
garding forbidden  tea,  33;  arrival  in 
New  York,  44;  asks  to  return  to 
England,  53;  notice  regarding  crown 
stores,  54;  takes  public  records  on 
board  Duchess  of  Gordon,  56;  flight, 
77;  in  plot  to  seize  Washington,  149; 
quoted,  211;  description  of  govern- 
ment of  New  York  under  colonial 
constitution,  228 

Tryon  county  Committee  of  Safety,  29, 
34 

Ulster  county  committee,  35 
Unadilla,  burned,  169 
Union  college,  247,  249 

Vaccination,  51,  200 

Valcour  Island,  149 

Van  Cortlandt,  Augustus,  54 

Van  Cortlandt,  John,  81 

Van  Cortlandt,  Philip,  colonel,  member 
of  Convention  of  1776,  81;  regiment, 
134,  135 

Van  Cortlandt,  Pierre,  lieutenant  gov- 
ernor, 96,  218 

Van  Rensselaer,  Henry  I.,  118 


INDEX 


371 


Van   Rensselaer,    Henry   K.,   lieutenant 

colonel,  143 
Van  Rensselaer,  Robert,  general,  172 
Van  Schaack,  Henry,  18 
Van  Schaick,  Goose,  colonel,  133,   134, 

135,  169 

Warner,  Seth,  colonel,  131,  137 
Washington,  George,  general,  welcome 
to  New  York,  44;  made  head  of 
army,  49;  takes  command,  56;  orders 
Declaration  of  Independence  read  to 
troops,  70;  report  on  delivery  of 
provisions  to  British  troops,  73; 
appears  for  first  time  in  records  of 
.  Congress,  133;  formed  the  New  York 
brigade,  135;  authorized  to  raise 
additional  regiments,  136;  drove 
British  out  of  Boston,  149;  wished  to 
burn  New  York  City,  151 ;  General 
Howe's  efforts  at  reconciliation  with, 
151 ;  transferred  army  across  river  to 
Manhattan  side,  153 ;  base  at  White 
Plains,  155;  headquarters  at  New- 
burgh,  173 ;  meeting  to  plan  evacua- 
tion, 175 ;  march  into  New  York  City, 
175;  arrived  in  New  York  City,  214; 
complained  of  New  York's  inactivity 
concerning  Loyalists,  215 
Wayne,  Anthony,  171 


Webb,  S.  B.,  colonel,  137 

Webster,  Alexander,  95 

Weissenfels,  Frederick,  lieutenant  colo- 
nel, 143 

Wesley,  John,  241 

Whigs,  39,  61,  65,  203 

White  Plains,  155 

Wiley,  John,  181 

Willett,  Marinus,  lieutenant  colonel, 
quoted,  38;  seizure  of  arms  for 
troops,  41,  131;  regiment,  143;  at- 
tack on  marauding  party,  172;  attack 
on  Ross's  men,  173;  mentioned,  159 

Wisner,  Henry,  47,  68,  83 

Woodhull,  Jesse,  95 

Woodhull,  Nathaniel,  65 

Wynkoop,  Adrian,  colonel,  134 

Yates,  Abraham,  member  of  Conven- 
tion of  1176,  81;  chairman  of  com- 
mittee to  write  new  Constitution,  83 ; 
on  committee  to  report  a  bill  of 
rights,  83;  on  committee  to  report 
a  plan  for  organizing  the  govern- 
ment, 85 ;  member  of  Council  of 
Appointment,  95;  commissioner  of 
Continental  Loan  Office,  118 

Yates,  Richard,  81 

Yates,  Robert,  81,  83,  91 


J.  B.   LTON  COMPANY,   PRINTERS,    ALBANY,    N.    Y. 


c 


-^  c  c_    ). 


^«V 


lb  "I 


University  of 
Connecticut 

Libraries 


